UC-NRLF 


NUT  CULTURIST 

A   TREATISB 

ON   THE 

PROPAGATION,  PLANTING  AND    CULTIVATION 
OF  NUT-BEARING  TREES  AND   SHRUBS 

ADAPTED  TO  THE 

CLIMATE  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES, 

WITH    THE    SCIENTIFIC    AND    COMMON    NAMES    OF 

THK  KRUITS   KNO\VN 

IN     COMMERCE    AS     EDIBLE     OR     OTHERWISE     USEFUL     NUTS 


BY  ANDRETW  S. 

Author  of  the  "Grape  Guitarist,"  "Small  Fruit  CuMurist,"  "Practical  Forestry, 
"Propagation  of  Plants"  etc.,  etc. 


ILLUSTRATED 


YORK 

ORANGE   JTJDD   COMPANY 

1896 


COPYRIGHT,  1806, 
BY  ORANGE  JUDD  COMPASf 


PREFACE 


Believing  that  the  time  is  opportune  for  making  an 
effort  to  cultivate  all  kinds  of  edible  and  otherwise  use- 
ful nut-bearing  trees  and  shrubs  adapted  to  the  soil  and 
climate  of  the  United  States,  thereby  inaugurating  a 
great,  permanent  and  far-reaching  industry,  the  follow- 
ing pages  have  been  penned,  and  with  the  hope  of  en- 
couraging and  aiding  the  farmer  to  increase  his  income 
and  enjoyments,  without,  to  any  appreciable  extent, 
adding  to  his  expenses  or  labors.  With  this  idea  in 
mind,  I  have  not  advised  the  general  planting  of  nut 
orchards  on  land  adapted  to  the  production  of  grain  and 
other  indispensable  farm  crops,  but  mainly  as  roadside 
trees  and  where  desired  for  shade,  shelter  and  ornament, 
being  confident  that  when  all  such  positions  are  occupied 
with  choice  nut-bearing  trees,  to  the  exclusion  of  those 
yielding  nothing  of  intrinsic  value,  there  will  have 
been  added  many  millions  of  dollars  to  the  wealth  of 
the  country,  as  well  as  a  vast  store  of  edible  and  deli- 
cious food. 

This  work  has  not  been  written  for  the  edification, 
or  the  special  approbation,  of  scientific  botanists,  but  for 
those  who,  in  the  opinion  of  the  writer,  are  most  likely 
to  profit  by  a  treatise  of  this  kind.  Unfamiliar  terms 
have  been  omitted  wherever  simple  common  words 
would  answer  equally  as  well  in  conveying  the  intended 
information.  There  being  no  work  of  this  kind  pub- 
lished in  this  country  that  would  serve  as  a  guide,  I 
have  been  compelled  to  formulate  a  plan  of  my  own, 

iii 


iV  PREFACE. 

and  to  describe  all  the  newer  varieties  from  the  best 
specimens  obtainable,  and  these  may  not,  in  all  cases, 
have  been  perfect.  Under  such  circumstances,  this 
work  must  necessarily  be  incomplete,  and  especially 
where  the  possessors  of  claimed-to-be  new  and  valuable 
varieties  have  either  refused  or  failed  to  give  any  infor- 
mation in  regard  to  them.  On  the  contrary,  however, 
I  must  acknowledge  my  indebtedness  to  many  corre- 
spondents, who  have  so  generously  placed  specimens  of 
both  trees  and  nuts  of  rare  new  varieties  in  my  hands 
for  testing  and  describing,  as  well  as  assisting  me  in 
tracing  their  history  and  origin. 

That  this  treatise  may  become  the  pioneer  of  many 
other  and  better  works  on  nut  culture  is  the  sincere 
wish  of 

THE   AUTHOR. 

RIDGEWOOD,  N.  J.,  1896. 


CONTENTS. 


Page. 

CHAPTER  I. 

r,    .          .          . 

i 

CHAPTER   II. 

.            . 

.                          12 

CHAPTER  III. 

T,    .              .              .              ... 

44 

CHAPTER  IV. 

•  '                   r          '          .             '    "     «    ,-                 .                    •• 

...               55 

CHAPTER  V. 

T,                     ....      ....              . 

60 

CHAPTER  VI. 

[AZELNUT,     .... 

118 

CHAPTER  VII. 

S,       . 

147 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

INTRODUCTION, 
THE  ALMOND, 
THE  BEECHNUT, 
CASTANOPSIS,  . 
THE  CHESTNUT, 
FILBERT  OR  HA 
HICKORY  NUTS, 


THE  WALNUT,          ".'  .  •"  • 

CHAPTER  IX. 
MISCELLANEOUS  NUTS— EDIBLE  AND  OTHERWISE,      .          .  254 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Fig.  Page. 

1.  A  California  almond  orchard,          .          .          .           .          .  is 

2.  Budding  knife,           .           .                 '     ,           .           .           .  24 

3.  Yankee  budding  knife,           .          ...          »          .           .  24 

4.  Prepared  shoot,         .          .          .          ...          .  26 

5.  Incision  for  bud,             •    .      •           .           .           .           .           .  27 

6.  Bud  in  position,         .           ."'.,.           .           .           .  28 

7.  Hard-shelled  almond,   .           ....           .           .           .  36 

8.  Thin-shelled  almond,          .'......  37 

9.  Beechnut  leaf,  bur  and  nut,  .          .          .           .          .          .  51 

10.  Leaves  and  nut  of  Castaiiopsis  chrysophylla,          .           .  56 

11.  Castanopsis  bur,             .          .          .          .         •.'...,  57 

12.  Chestnut  flowers,      .          .       ".          .          .           .           .  61 

13.  Splice  graft,          .....                      .           .  75 

14.  Splice  graft  inserted,           .           .          .          .           ...  75 

15.  Stock 77 

16.  Cion,        .........  77 

17.  Two  cions  inserted,        .        * .                  -  - . :'                   .           .  77 

18.  One  cioii  inserted,     .                 r  .          .       "   .                     .  77 

19.  American  chestnut  leaf,         ......  88 

20.  Spike  of  burs  of  bush  chinquapin  (Castanea  nana),            .  89 

21.  Spike  of  chinquapin  chestnut  bur  (C.  pumila),   ...  90 

22.  Single  bur,  nut  and  leaf  of  chinquapin  chestnut  (C.  pumila),  91 

23.  Japan  chestnut  leaf,      .           .           «  ;        .           .           .           .  92 

24.  Burs  of  Fuller's  chinquapin  (one-half  natural  size),          .  97 

25.  Fuller's  chinquapin,  five  years  old  from  nut,    .          .      **'.  98 

26.  Bur  of  Numbo  chestnut,      ......  101 

27.  Spines  of  Numbo  chestnut,     .          .           .          .          •  102 

28.  Numbo  chestnut,       .           .           .           .           .           .           .  102 

29.  Paragon  chestnut  bur  (one-half  natural  size),    .           .           .  103 

30.  Spines  of  Paragon  chestnut  bur,            .          .       ~  j..         .  103 

31.  Paragon  chestnut,         .          .          ...          .           .          .  104 

32.  Four-year-old  Paragon  chestnut  tree,  ....  105 

33.  Open  bur  of  the  Ridgely  chestnut,  ...  .106 

34.  Japan  Giant  chestnut .  HO 

35.  Spines  of  Japan  chestnut,       .                                          •  HO 

36.  Chestnut  weevil, 114 

37.  Large  filbert 119 

38.  Large  seedling  hazelnut,   ......  120 

39.  Constantinople  hazel,  .......  129 

•to.  English  filbert  orchard,  five  years  from  seed,         .           .  134 

41.  Varieties  of  filberts  and  hazel  seedlings,           ...  136 

vi 


LIST   OF    ILLUSTRATIONS.  vii 

Fig.  Page. 

42.  Extra  large  hazel  seedling  or  round  English  filbert,        .  136 

43.  Filbert  orchard  struck  with  blight,  fifth  year  from  seed,  .         137 

44.  Hazel  fungus,                         .           .           ...           .  141 

45.  Fourteen-years-old  pecan  tree  in  Mississippi,    .          .  .154 

46.  Leaf  and  sterile  catkins  of  shellbark  hickory,        .  .156 

47.  Western  shellbark,        .  . 158 

48.  Section  Western  shellbark,          .          '.          .          .           .  158 

49.  Leaf  of  pignut,     .           .           ....           ».          .  .161 

50.  Bitternut  branch  and  leaf,           .           .           .           ,           .  163 

51.  Bitternut,    .           .           .           .                      .           .           .  .164 

52.  Large,  long  pecan  nut,        .           .           .           .  .        .        •  .  166 

53.  Oval  pecan  nut,    .           .                      .           .           .           .  .         166 

54.  Small  oval  pecan  nut,         ......  167 

55.  Little  Mobile  pecan  nut,                  '  .'           .           .           .  ^         167 

56.  Stuart  pecan  nut,                 .           .           .           .           .           .  ^          169 

57.  Van  Deman  pecan  nut,  .      :;  .  ....         169 

58.  Risien  pecan  nut,      ......  169 

59.  Lady  Finger  pecan  nut,                      ;           .           .           .  .169 

60.  The  original  Hales'  Paper-shell  hickory  tree,          .           .  171 

61.  Hales'  hickory,    ......  .172 

62.  Section  of  Hales'  hickory,            .          .  172 

63.  Long  shellbark  hickory,          ...  .         173 

64.  Shellbark  Missouri,  .           .           .       •"..  173 

65.  Long  Western  shellbark,        .  .  ....         174 

66.  Fresh  Nussbaumer  hybrid,           .      ix.           ...  175 
G7.  Nussbaumer's  hybrid,   .           .           .           .           .           .  .176 

68.  Crown  grafting  on  roots  of  the  hickory,         .                      .  189 

69.  Sprouts  from  severed  hickory  roots,         .           .-  .190 

70.  The  hickory-twig  girdler,  .           ...                      •  196 

71.  Hickory  borer,     .           .           .           .           .    -      •          •  •         I98 

72.  Burrows  of  hickory  scolytus,       .  .  •  •  • 

73.  Persian  walnut,  showing  position  of  sexual  organs,  .  .         204 

74.  Bearing  branch  of  English  walnut,       .  . 

75.  Seedling  walnut,             .           .           »         " .           •      .     •  «         216 

76.  Flute  budding,  .  .  . 

77.  Flowering  branch  of  hybrid  walnut,         .                     .«  >         228 

78.  Hybrid  walnut,  .  .  .  • 

79.  Hybrid  walnut,  shell  removed,       .           .           •  *         23° 

80.  Jnglans  Siebolcliana  raceme,       .          »          •_. 

81.  Black  walnut  in  husk,  .                                 •••  •         232 

82.  Juglans  nigra,  husk  removed,     .  .  •  • 

83.  Juglans  Californica.      .                                 •                      .  .         235 

84.  Juglan  j  rupestris,  showing  small  kernel, 

85.  Juglans  Sieboldiana, 

86.  Juglans  cordiformis,  . 

87.  Small  fruited  walnut,  .  24J 

88.  Barthere  walnut,       . 

89.  Chaberte  walnut, 24^ 

90.  Chile  walnut,  ...  • 

91.  Cut-leaved  walnut, 

92.  Gibbous  walnut,         .  .... 

93.  Mayette  walnut,  . 21*5 


Vlll  THE   KUT   CULTUEIST. 


Fig.                                                                                                 »  .       Page. 

94.  Kernel  of  walnut, .  245 

95.  Juglans  regia  octogona,          .           .                      .  .           .245 

96.  Cross  section,  .           .           .           .           ....  245 

97.  Parisieniie  walnut,         .          .          .     '    i          .  .  .246 

98.  Serotina  or  St.  John  walnut,        .           .           .           .  247 

99.  The  caterpillar  of  the  regal  walnut  moth,          .  .  .         252 

100.  The  regal  walnut  moth— Citheronia  regalis,             .  2".L' 

101.  Brazil  nut,  .           .           .           .           .    •       .           .  .  .258 

102.  The  cashew  nut,         .           .           ...           .-  260 

103.  Litchi  or  Leechee  nut,  .           .           ...  .  .270 

104.  Branch  of  nut  pine,  .                                            ...  L'77 

105.  Paradise  or  sapucaia  nut,       .         '.-.-.  .  .         279 

106.  Souari  nut,        .           .           .           ...           .  .  281 

107.  Water  chestnut,  . 283 


CHAPTER  I. 

INTRODUCTION. 

No  special  amount  of  prophetic  acumen  is  required 
to  foresee  that  the  time  will  soon  corne  when  the  people 
of  this  country  must  necessarily  place  a  much  higher 
value  upon  all  kinds  of  food  than  they  do  at  present,  or 
have  done  in  the  past.  In  this  we  are  pre-supposing 
that  in  the  natural  course  of  events,  our  population  will 
continue  to  increase  in  nearly  the  same  ratio  it  has  since 
we  assumed  the  responsibilities  of  an  independent  nation. 

The  very  existence  of  animal  life  on  this  planet  de- 
pends upon  the  quantity  and  quality  of  available  food, 
and  while  some  sentimentalists  may  assume  to  ignore 
and  even  attempt  to  deprecate  the  animal  desires  of 
their  race,  nature  compels  us  to  recognize  the  fact  that 
there  can  be  no  fire  without  fuel,  and  the  great  and  use- 
ful intellectual  powers  of  man  are  the  emanations  of  the 
animal  tissues  of  a  well-nourished  brain.  The  brawny 
arm  that  rends  the  rock  and  hurls  the  fragments  aside, 
gets  its  power  through  the  same  channel  and  from  the 
same  source  as  those  of  other  members  of  society,  what- 
ever the  nature  of  their  calling ;  for  mankind  is  built 
upon  one  universal  and  general  plan,  varied  though  it 
may  be  in  some  of  the  minor  details  of  construction. 
We  certainly  have  no  cause  to  fear  that  the  theories  of 
Malthus,  in  regard  to  the  overpopulation  of  the  earth 
as  a  whole,  will  ever  be  verified  in  the  experience  of  the 
human  race,  because  with  necessity  comes  industry,  also 
the  inventions  of  devices  to  enable  us  to  avoid  just  such 
dangers,  and  if  these  fail  to  keep  pace  with  our  wants 

1 


2  THE   >TUT   CULTURIST. 

and  needs,  wars,  earthquakes,  drouths,  floods,  and  conta- 
gious, epidemic  and  other  diseases,  become  the  weapons 
which  nature  employs  to  prevent  overpopulation.  But 
we  cannot  deny  that  nature  does  sometimes  encourage  or 
permit  a  somewhat  redundant  population  in  certain 
favorable  countries  and  localities,  and  then  follows  a 
struggle  for  existence,  and  food  becomes  the  paramount 
object  in  life.  To  ward  off  danger  of  this  kind  and 
keep  the  supply  in  excess  of  the  demand,  is  a  problem 
which  should  seriously  engage  the  attention  of  every 
one  who  takes  the  least  interest  in  the  general  welfare  of 
his  countrymen,  even  though  the  day  of  want  or  scarcity 
of  food  may  be  very  far  distant. 

Among  the  various  sources  of  acceptable  and  nutri- 
tious food  products  heretofore  almost  entirely  neglected 
in  this  country,  the  edible  nuts  stand  preeminently  and 
conspicuously  in  the  foreground,  awaiting  the  skill 
and  attention  of  all  who  seek  pleasure  and  profit — 
to  be  derived  from  the  products  of  the  soil.  For  many 
centuries  these  nuts  have  held  a  prominent  position 
among  the  desirable  and  valuable  food  products  of  vaii- 
ous  European  and  Oriental  countries ;  not  only  because 
they  were  important  and  almost  indispensable  in  making 
up  the  household  supplies  of  all  classes  of  the  people, 
but  often  because  available  for  filling  a  depleted  purse, 
and  the  thing  needful  for  this  purpose  has,  in  the  main, 
been  received  from  far-distant  nations,  who  through  in- 
difference and  neglect  failed  to  provide  themselves  with 
such  a  simple  and  valuable  article  as  the  edible  nuts. 

Much  as  we  may  boast  of  our  immense  natural  re- 
sources and  advantages,  we  have  not,  as  yet,  availed  our- 
selves of  one-half  of  those  we  possess,  and  the  remainder 
is  still  awaiting  our  attention.  We  also  neglect  to  avail 
ourselves  of  the  many  superior  domestic  traits  and  prac- 
tices of  the  foreign  nations  with  whom  we  are  in  con- 
stant communication.  It  may  be  that  the  absence  of 


INTRODUCTION.  3 

incentives  has  made  us  careless  and  indifferent  in  regard 
to  a  day  of  need,  which  in  all  probability  will  come  to 
us  sooner  or  later ;  but  whatever  the  cause,  the  fact  re- 
mains that  we  have  been  spending  millions  annually  on 
worthless  articles  and  sentimental  problems  and  projects, 
which  have  brought  us  neither  riches  nor  honor ;  in 
truth,  to  use  a  homely  phrase,  we  have  been  following 
the  bellwether  in  nearly  all  of  our  rural  affairs  and  pur- 
suits. As  a  natural  result  we  are  spending  millions  for 
imported  articles  of  everyday  use  which  might  easily 
and  with  large  profit  be  produced  at  home,  and  in  many 
instances  the  most  humiliating  part  of  the  transaction  is 
that  we  send  our  money  to  people  who  do  not  purchase 
any  of  our  productions  and  almost  ignore  us  in  commer- 
cial matters.  I  am  not  referring  to  those  products  ill- 
adapted  to  our  climate,  nor  to  those  which,  owing  to 
scarcity  and  high  price  of  labor,  we  are  unable  to  produce 
profitably,  but  to  such  nuts  as  the  almond,  walnut  and 
chestnut,  which  we  can  raise  as  readily  as  peaches, 
apples  and  pears.  There  certainly  can  be  no  excuse  for 
the  neglect  of  such  nut  trees  on  the  score  of  cost  of 
labor  in  propagation  and  planting,  because  our  streets 
and  highways  are  lined  and  shaded  with  equally  as  ex- 
pensive kinds,  although  they  are  absolutely  worthless 
for  any  other  purpose  than  shade  or  shelter,  yielding 
nothing  in  the  way  of  food  for  either  man  or  beast. 
Can  any  one  invent  a  reasonable  excuse  for  planting 
miles  and  miles  of  roadside  trees  of  such  kinds  as  elm, 
maple,  ash,  willow,  cotton  wood,  and  a  hundred  other 
similar  kinds,  where  shellbark  hickory,  chestnut,  wal- 
nut, pecan  and  butternut  would  thrive  just  as  well, 
cost  no  more,  and  yet  yield  bushels  of  delicious  and 
highly  prized  nuts,  and  this  annually  or  in  alternate 
years,  continuing  and  increasing  in  productiveness  for 
one,  two  or  more  centuries.  Aside  from  the  intrinsic 
value  of  such  trees,  they  are,  in  the  way  of  ornament, 


4  THE   NUT   CULTURIST. 

just  as  beautiful  as,  and  in  many  instances  much  superior 
to  those  yielding  nothing  in  the  way  of  food  except,  per- 
haps, something  for  noxious  insects. 

I  am  not  attempting  to  pose  as  the  one  wise  man 
engaged  in  rural  affairs,  but  am  merely  recounting  my  per- 
sonal observation  and  experience,  having  in  my  younger 
days  taken  the  advice  of  my  elders,  and  at  a  time  when 
a  hint  of  the  future  value  of  nut  trees  would  have  been 
worth  more  than  a  paid-up  life  insurance  policy.  But 
as  the  hint  was  not  given,  I  selected  for  roadside  trees 
ash,  maples,  tulip,  magnolias,  and  other  popular  kinds. 
all  of  which  thrived,  and  by  the  time  they  were  twenty 
years  old  began  to  be  admired  for  their  beauty,  although 
their  roots  were  spreading  into  the  adjoining  field,  rob- 
bing the  soil  of  the  nutriment  required  for  less  vigorous- 
growing  plants.  Later,  however,  the  discovery  was 
made  that  I  was  paying  very  dearly  for  a  crop  of  leaves 
and  sentiment,  neither  of  which  was  salable  or  avail- 
able for  filling  one's  purse.  When  thirty  years  of  age 
the  yery  best  of  my  roadside  trees  were  probably  worth 
two  dollars  each  for  firewood,  or  one  dollar  more  than 
the  nurseryman's  price  at  the  time  of  planting.  The 
greater  part  of  these  trees,  however,  have  since  been  cre- 
mated, a  few  being  left  as  reminders  of  the  misdirected 
labors  of  youth  and  inexperience. 

In  this  matter  of  following  a  leader  in  tree-planting 
along  the  highways,  it  appears  to  be  a  predominant  trait 
of  our  rural  population  and  as  old  as  the  settlement  of 
this  country,  for  nowhere  is  it  more  pronounced  than  in 
the  New  England  States,  where  the  American  elms 
attracted  the  attention  of  the  Pilgrims  and  their  con- 
temporaries and  descendants,  and  even  continued  down 
to  the  present  day.  No  one  will  deny  that  the 
American  elm  is  a  noble  tree  in  appearance,  is  easily 
transplanted  and  of  rapid  growth,  and  yet  it  is  one  of 
the  most  worthless  for  any  economic  purpose.  It  may 


INTRODUCTION.  5 

be  that  its  worthlessness  for  other  purposes  made  it  all 
the  more  acceptable  for  streets  and  roadsides,  the  better 
kinds  being  reserved  for  firewood,  fencing,  furniture, 
and  the  manufacture  of  agricultural  and  other  imple- 
ments. But  whatever  the  cause  or  object,  the  elm  be- 
came the  one  tree  generally  selected  for  planting  in 
parks,  villages,  cities,  and  along  roadsides  in  the  coun- 
try, not  only  in  the  older  but  in  many  of  the  newer 
States.  From  present  indications,  however,  the  glory 
of  this  much  over -praised  tree  is  on  the  wane,  for  the 
imported  elm-leaf  beetle  (Galeruca  calmariensis)  is 
slowly  but  surely  spreading  over  the  country,  defoliating 
the  elms  of  all  species  and  varieties,  and  it  is  a  question 
whether  we  should  bless  this  insect  for  the  work  it  is 
doing  or  look  upon  it  as  a  pest.  Perhaps  future  genera- 
tions will  sing  paeons  in  its  praise,  and  they  certainly 
will  have  reasons  for  rejoicing  if  better  and  more  useful 
kinds  are  planted  in  the  places  now  occupied  by  the 
worthless  elms. 

In  other  localities  some  pioneer  or  leader  in  road- 
side ornamentation  selected  or  recommended  some  spe- 
cies of  maple,  linden,  catalpa,  poplar  or  willow,  but  it 
made  little  or  no  difference  as  to  kind,  because,  as  a  rule, 
all  his  neighbors  followed  without  a  thought  or  question 
in  regard  to  adaptation  to  soil,  climate,  or  fitness  in  the 
local  or  surrounding  scenery,  or  of  its  future  economic 
value.  The  result  of  this  want  of  taste  and  forethought 
may  be  seen  in  whatever  direction  one  travels  through- 
out the  older  and  more  thickly  settled  portions  of  this 
country. 

Had  the  early  settlers  of  the  New  England  States 
planted  shellbark  hickories,  or  even  the  native  chestnut, 
in  place  of  the  American  elm,  they  would  not  only  have 
had  equally  as  beautiful  trees  for  shade  and  ornament, 
but  the  nutritious  nuts  would  scarcely  have  failed  to  bring 
bright  cheer  to  many  a  household  and  money  to  fill  oft- 


6  THE    NUT   CULTURIST. 

depleted  purses,  while  their  descendants  would  have 
blessed  them  for  their  forethought.  Of  course  there  are 
other  valuable  kinds  of  nuts  which  thrive  over  the 
greater  part  of  the  New  England  States,  but  I  refer  only 
to  the  two,  which  were  so  abundant  in  the  forests  that 
one  or  both  could  have  been  obtained  for  the  mere  cost 
of  transplanting.  But  it  is  not  fair  to  prate  about  the 
remissness  and  follies  of  our  ancestors,  unless  we  can 
show  by  our  works  that  wisdom  has  come  down  to  us 
through  their  experience. 

What  is  true  of  the  New  England  is  equally  true  of 
all  the  older  States,  and  is  rapidly  becoming  so  in  many 
of  the  newer,  little  attention  being  paid  to  the  intrinsic 
value  of  the  wood  or  the  product  of  the  trees  planted 
along  the  highways.  There  are  also  millions  of  acres  of 
wild  lands  not  suitable  for  cultivation,  but  well  adapted 
to  the  growth  of  trees,  whether  of  the  nut-bearing  or 
other  kinds.  But  for  the  present  I  will  omit  further 
reference  to  the  planting  of  nut  trees  except  on  the  line 
of -the  highways,  just  where  other  kinds  have  long  been 
in  vogue  and  are  still  being  cultivated  for  shade  and 
ornament, — with  no  thought,  perhaps,  on  the  part  of 
the  planter,  that  both  could  be  obtained  in  the  nut  trees, 
with  something  of  more  intrinsic  value  added.  The  nut 
trees  which  grow  to  a  large  size  are  as  well  adapted  for 
planting  along  roadsides,  in  the  open  country,  as  other 
kinds  that  yield  nothing  in  the  way  of  food  for  either 
man  or  beast.  They  are  also  fully  as  beautiful  in  form 
and  foliage,  and  in  many  instances  far  superior,  to  the 
kinds  often  selected  for  such  purposes. 

The  only  objection  I  have  heard  of  as  being  urged 
against  planting  fruit  and  nut  trees  along  the  highway 
is  that  they  tempt  boys  and  girls — as  well  as  persons  of 
larger  growth— to  become  trespassers  ;  but  this  only  ap- 
plies to  where  there  is  such  a  scarcity  that  the  quantity 
taken  perceptibly  lessens  the  total  crop.  But  where 


INTRODUCTION.  7 

there  is  an  abundance,  either  the  temptation  to  trespass 
disappears,  or  we  fail  to  recognize  our  loss.  As  we  can- 
not very  well  dispense  with  the  small  boy  and  his  sister, 
I  am  in  favor  of  providing  them  bountifully  with  all  the 
good  things  that  climate  and  circumstance  will  afford. 
It  is  a  truism  that  conscience  is  never  strengthened  by 
an  empty  stomach. 

A  mile,  in  this  country,  is  5280  feet,  and  if  trees 
are  set  40  feet  apart — which  is  allowing  sufficient  room 
for  them  to  grow  during  an  ordinary  lifetime — we  get 
133  per  mile  in  a  single  row ;  but  where  the  roads  are 
three  to  four  rods  wide,  two  rows  may  be  planted,  one 
on  each  side,  or  266  per  mile.  With  such  kinds  as  the 
"Persian  walnut  and  American  and  foreign  chestnuts,  we 
can  safely  estimate  the  crop,  when  the  trees  are  twenty 
years  old,  at  a  half  bushel  per  tree,  or  66  bushels  for  a 
single  row,  and  133  for  a  double  row  per  mile.  With 
grafted  trees  of  either  kind  we  may  count  on  double  the 
quantity  named,  presuming,  of  course,  that  the  trees 
are  given  proper  care.  But  to  be  on  the  safe  side,  let  us 
keep  our  estimate  down  to  the  half -bush  el  mark  per 
tree,  and  with  this  crop,  at  the  moderate  price  of  four 
dollars  per  bushel,  we  would  get  $264  from  the  crop  on  a 
single  row,  and  double  this  sum,  or  $528,  for  the  crop 
on  a  double  row — with  a  fair  assurance  that  the  yield 
would  increase  steadily  for  the  next  hundred  years  or 
more ;  while  the  cost  of  gathering  and  marketing  the 
nuts  is  no  greater,  and  in  many  instances  much  less 
than  that  of  the  ordinary  grain  crops.  At  the  expira- 
tion of  the  first  half  century,  one-half  of  the  trees  may 
be  removed,  if  they  begin  to  crowd,  and  the  timber  used 
for  whatever  purpose  it  may  best  be  adapted.  The  re- 
maining trees  would  probably  improve,  on  account  of 
having  more  room  for  development. 

There  has  been  a  steady  increase  in  the  demand, 
and  a  corresponding  advance  in  the  price  of  all  kinds  of 


8  THE    NUT    CULTUKIST. 

edible  nuts,  during  the  past  three  or  four  decades,  and 
this  is  likely  to  continue  for  many  years  to  come,  be- 
cause consumers  are  increasing  far  more  rapidly  than 
producers ;  besides,  the  forests,  which  have  long  been 
the  only  source  of  supply  of  the  native  kinds,  are  rapidly 
disappearing,  while  there  has  not  been,  as  yet,  any 
special  effort  to  make  good  the  loss,  by  replanting  or 
otherwise.  The  dealers  in  such  articles  in  our  larger 
cities  assure  me  that  the  demand  for  our  best  kinds  of 
edible  nuts  is  far  in  excess  of  the  supply,  and  yet  not 
one  housewife  or  cook  in  a  thousand  in  this  country  has 
ever  attempted  to  use  nuts  of  any  kind  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  meats  and  other  dishes  for  the  table,  as  is  so  gen- 
erally practiced  in  European  and  Oriental  countries. 

The  question  may  be  asked,  if  the  demand  is  suffi- 
cient to  warrant  the  planting  of  the  hardy  nut  trees  ex- 
tensively along  our  highways  or  elsewhere.  In  answer 
to  such  a  question  it  may  be  said  that  we  not  only  con- 
sume all  of  the  edible  nuts  raised  in  this  country,  but 
import  millions  of  pounds  annually  of  the  very  kinds 
which  thrive  here  as  well  as  in  any  other  part  of  the 
world. 

I  have  before  me  the  records  of  our  imports  from 
the  year  1790  to  1894,  but  as  I  purpose  dealing  more 
with  the  present  and  future  than  with  the  distant  past, 
I  will  refer  here  only  to  the  statistics  of  the  four  years 
of  the  present  decade,  leaving  out  all  reference  to  the 
tropical  nuts,  which  are  not  supposed  to  be  adapted  to 
our  climate. 

Of  almonds,  not  shelled,  and  on  which  there  is  a 
protective  duty  of  three  cents  per  pound,  we  imported 
from  1890  to  the  close  of  1893,  12,443,895  pounds,  val- 
ued at  $1,100,477.65.  Of  almonds,  shelled,  on  which 
the  duty  is  now  five  cents,  we  imported  1,326,633  pounds. 
The  total  value  of  both  kinds  for  the  four  years,  amounted 
to  $1,716,277.32.  Whether  this  high  protective  duty 


INTRODUCTION.  9 

is  to  remain  or  not  is  uncertain,  but  it  is  quite  evident 
that  it  has  had  very  little  effect  in  stimulating  the  culti- 
vation of  this  nut  except  in  circumscribed  localities  on  » 
the  Pacific  coast. 

Of  filberts  and  walnuts,  not  shelled,  and  with  a 
duty  of  two  cents  per  pound,  we  imported  during  the 
same  years  from  eleven  to  fifteen  million  pounds  annu- 
ally, or  a  total  for  the  four  years  of  54,526,181  pounds, 
and  in  addition  about  two  million  pounds  of  the  shelled 
kernels,  on  which  the  duty  was  six  cents  (now  four)  per 
pound.  The  total  value  of  these  importations  amounted 
to  $3,176,085.34. 

I  do  not  find  the  European  chestnut  mentioned  in 
any  list  of  imports,  although  an  immense  quantity  must 
be  received  from  France,  Italy  and  Spain  every  year, 
and  they  are  probably  imported  under  the  head  of  mis- 
cellaneous nuts,  not  specially  provided  for,  and  upon 
which  the  duty  was  two  cents  per  pound  in  1890-'91, 
but  was  later  reduced  to  one  and  a  half  cents. 

Under  the  head  "miscellaneous  nuts,"  or  all  other 
shelled  and  unshelled  "not  specially  provided  for,"  there 
was  imported  during  the  period  named  6,442,908  pounds, 
valued  at  $235,976.05.  The  total  for  all  kinds  of  edible 
nuts  imported  was  $7,124,575.82.  These  figures  are 
sufficient  to  prove  that  we  are  neglecting  an  opportunity 
to  largely  engage  in  and  extend  a  most  important  and 
profitable  industry.  It  is  true  that  in  the  Southern 
States  considerable  attention  has  been  given,  of  late,  to 
the  preservation  of  the  old  pecan  nut  trees  and  the  plant- 
ing of  young  stock,  but  it  will  be  many  years  before  the 
increase  from  this  source  can  overtake  the  ever-increas- 
ing demand  for  this  delicious  native  nut.  Californians 
are  also  making  an  effort  to  raise  several  foreign  varie- 
ties of  edible  nuts  on  a  somewhat  extensive  scale,  but 
all  these  widely  scattered  experiments  are  mere  drops  in 
the  ocean  of  our  wants.  Under  such  conditions  I  ask, 


10  THE   NUT   CULTURIST. 

in  all  seriousness,  if  it  is  not  about  time  that  our  farmers 
and  rural  population  generally  began  to  count  their 
worthless  and  unproductive  possessions,  in  the  form  of 
roadside  and  other  shade  trees — which  have  probably 
cost  fully  as  much  to  secure,  plant  and  care  for  during 
the  few  or  many  years  since  they  were  set  out,  as  would 
have  been  expended  upon  the  most  beautiful  and  valu- 
able nut-bearing  kinds.  If  our  ancestors  were  at  fault 
in  the  selection  of  trees  for  planting,  we  need  not  expect 
that  posterity  will  excuse  us  lor  continuing  and  repeat- 
ing their  folly,  especially  when  our  dear-bought  experi- 
ence should  teach  us  better. 

At  the  present  time  there  might  be  some  difficulty 
in  procuring,  at  the  nurseries,  a  choice  selection  of  nut 
trees  in  any  considerable  quantity,  suited  to  roadside 
planting,  because  heretofore  there  has  been  little  de- 
mand for  such  stock;  and  nurserymen  are  only  human, 
and  conduct  their  establishments  on  business  principles, 
propagating  the  kind  of  trees  in  greatest  demand,  regard- 
less of  their  intrinsic  or  future  value  to  purchasers. 
They  will  also  continue  producing  such  stock  just  so 
long  as  the  demand  will  warrant  it,  and  further,  it  is 
but  natural  that  they  should  sometimes  recommend  and 
advise  their  customers  to  purchase  worthless,  and  even 
pestiferous  kinds,  such  as  the  ailanthus  and  white  pop- 
lar, because  the  profits  in  raising  these  trees  are  large 
and  there  is  little  danger  of  loss  in  transplanting.  But 
if  purchasers  will  insist  on  having  better  kinds  and  re- 
fuse to  accept  any  other,  they  will  soon  be  accommo- 
dated ;  and  if  not,  then  let  everyone  who  owns  a  plot  of 
ground  become  his  own  propagator  of  trees.  It  is  not 
beyond  the  ability  of  any  moderately  intelligent  man  (or 
woman,  for  that  matter)  to  raise  nut  trees,  and  as  readily 
as  one  could  potatoes  or  corn. 

Where  farmers  want  a  row  of  trees  along  the  road- 
side, to  be  utilized  for  line  fence  posts,  they  cannot  pos- 


INTRODUCTION.  11 

sibly  find  any  kinds  better  adapted  for  this  purpose  than 
chestnut,  walnut  and  hickory  ;  and  these  will  give  just  as 
dense  a  shade,  and  look  as  well — besides,  in  a  few  years 
they  may  yield  enough  to  pay  the  taxes  on  the  entire 
farm,  the  crop  increasing  in  amount  and  value  not  only 
during  the  lifetime  of  the  planter,  but  that  of  many 
generations  of  his  descendants. 

This  appeal  to  the  good  sense  of  our  rural  popula- 
tion is  made  in  all  sincerity  and  with  the  hope  that  it 
will  be  heeded  by  every  man  who  has  a  spark  of  patriot- 
ism in  his  soul,  and  who  dares  show  it  in  his  labors,  and 
by  setting  up  a  few  milestones  in  the  form  of  nut-bear- 
ing trees  along  the  roadsides — if  for  no  other  purpose 
than  the  present  pleasure  of  anticipating  the  gratifi- 
cation such  monuments  will  afford  the  many  who  are 
certain  to  pass  along  these  highways  years  hence. 

It  is  surely  not  good  policy  to  enrich  other  nations 
at  the  expense  of  our  own  people,  as  we  are  now  doing 
in  sending  millions  of  dollars  annually  to  foreign  coun- 
tries in  payment  for  such  luxuries  as  edible  nuts  that 
could  be  readily  and  profitably  produced  at  home.  There 
need  be  no  fear  of  an  overproduction  of  such  things,  no 
matter  how  many  may  engage  in  their  cultivation,  be- 
cause in  such  industries  many  will  resolve  to  do,  and 
even  make  an  attempt,  but  a  comparatively  small  num- 
ber will  reach  any  marked  degree  of  success. 


CHAPTER    II. 

THE    ALMOXD. 

Amygdalus,  Tournefort.  Xame  supposed  to  be  de- 
rived from  amysso,  to  lacerate,  because  of  the  prominent 
sharp,  knifelike  margin  of  one  edge  of  the  deeply  pitted, 
wrinkled  nut.  Martins,  an  Italian  botanist,  suggests 
that  the  name  came  from  the  Hebrew  word  shakad,  sig- 
nifying vigilant,  or  to  awake,  because  after  the  rigors  of 
winter  the  almond  tree  is  one  of  the  earliest  to  hail  the 
coming  of  spring,  with  its  flowers.  The  common  Eng- 
lish name  is  from  the  Latin  amandola,  corrupted  from 
amygdala.  In  French  it  is  amaudicr ;  in  German, 
mandel ;  Portuguese,  amendoa ;  Spanish,  almendro ; 
Italian,  amandola,  mandalo,  mandorla,  etc.  ;  Dutch, 
amende! ;  Chinese,  him-ho-gin. 

Under  the  natural  classification  of  plants  the  almond 
belongs  to  the  order  Rosacece,  and  in  the  tribe  Drupacece. 
Linnaeus  placed  the  peach  and  almond  in  the  same 
genus,  and  they  are  now  generally  considered  to  be  only 
varieties  of  one  species, — the  wild  almond  tree  is  prob- 
ably the  parent  from  which  all  the  cultivated  peaches 
and  nectarines  have  descended.  In  most  of  our  modern 
botanical  works  these  fruits  are  classed  as  a  sub-section 
of  Prunus,  the  plum.  They  are  mainly  deciduous 
shrubs,  or  small  trees.  The  flowers  are  variable,  both 
in  size  and  color ;  but  in  the  almond  they  are  usually 
somewhat  larger  than  in  the  peach,  almost  sessile,  and 
from  separate  scaly  buds  on  the  shoots  of  the  preceding 
season,  appearing  in  early  spring,  before  or  with  the 
unfolding  leaves,  the  latter  being  folded  lengthwise  in 

12 


THE   ALMOND.  13 

the  bud.  Leaves  three  to  four  inches  long,  tapering, 
finely  serrate,  with  few  or  no  glands  at  the  base  of  the 
blade,  as  seen  in  many  varieties  of  the  common  peach. 
Fruit  clothed  with  a  fine  dense  pubescence  in  both  peach 
and  almond ;  but  in  the  latter  the  pulpy  envelope  be- 
comes dry  and  fibrous  at  maturity,  cracking  open  irreg- 
ularly, allowing  the  rough  and  deeply  indented  nuts  to 
drop  out ;  while  in  the  peach  the  pulpy  part  becomes 
soft,  juicy  and  edible,  the  reverse  of  the  almond.  The 
nectarine  is  only  a  smooth-skinned  peach. 

History  of  the  Almond. — As  with  most  of  our 
long-cultivated  fruits  and  nut  trees,  very  little  is  now 
known  of  the  early  history  or  origin  of  the  almond,  and 
even  its  native  country  has  not  been  positively  deter- 
mined, although  it  is  supposed  to  be  indigenous  to  parts 
of  Northern  Africa  and  the  mountainous  region  of  Asia. 
Theophrastus,  who  wrote  a  history  of  plants  about  three 
centuries  before  the  Christian  era,  mentions  the  almond 
as  the  only  tree  in  Greece  that  produces  blossoms  before 
the  leaves.  From  Greece  it  was  introduced  into  Italy, 
where  the  nuts  were  called  nuces  grcecce,  or  Greek  nuts. 

Columella,  about  the  middle  of  the  first  century  of 
our  era,  was  the  earliest  Roman  writer  to  mention  the 
almond  as  distinct  from  the  peach.  From  Italy  this 
nut  was  slowly  disseminated,  making  its  way  northward 
mainly  through  France,  reaching  Great  Britain  as  late 
as  1538  (Hortus  Kewensis).  But  its  cultivation  has 
never  extended  in  Britain,  beyond  sheltered  gardens  and 
orchard  houses,  owing  to  the  cool  and  otherwise  uncon- 
genial climate,  and  the  same  is  true  of  Northern  France 
and  other  regions  to  the  eastward  in  Europe.  But  in 
the  south  of  France,  also  in  Italy,  Spain,  Sicily,  and 
throughout  the  Mediterranean  countries,  both  in  Europe 
and  Africa,  the  almond  thrives,  and  has  long  been  ex- 
tensively cultivated.  These  nuts  are  an  important  arti- 
cle of  commerce,  immense  quantities  being  exported  by 


14  THE   NUT   CULTURIST. 

Spain,  mainly  from  Valencia,  while  the  so-called  Jordan 
almond  comes  from  Malaga,  as  very  few  are  raised  in 
the  valley  of  the  Jordan.  Bitter  almonds  come  princi- 
pally from  Mogador  in  Morocco. 

As  for  almond  culture  in  the  United  States,  very 
little  is  to  be  said  further  than  that,  while  we  have  few 
experiments  to  refer  to  as  having  heen  made  east  of  the 
Rocky  mountains,  not  one  of  our  great  pomologists, 
in  their  published  works,  has  ever  given  any  reason  for 
the  almost  entire  neglect  of  this  nut.  Mr.  Win.  H. 
White,  author  of  " Gardening  for  the  South"  (1868), 
throws  no  light  upon  the  subject,  merely  describing  a 
few  of  the  well-known  varieties  of  the  almond.  Down- 
ing's  "Fruit  and  Fruit  Trees  of  America,"  Thomas' 
"American  Fruit  Culturist,"  Barry's  "Fruit  Garden," 
and  a  score  of  other  standard  pomological  works  may  be 
consulted,  without  obtaining  therefrom  any  information 
in  regard  to  the  culture  of  this  nut  further  than  to  be 
assured  that  the  hard-shelled  varieties  are  hardy  in  the 
North  wherever  the  peach  tree  thrives,  and  the  thin,  or 
paper  shelled,  succeed  only  in  warm  climates.  All  these 
authors  agree  in  saying  that  the  propagation  and  culti- 
vation of  the  almond  is  the  same  as  practiced  with  the 
peach. 

Coming  down  to  recent  years  for  information  in 
regard  to  almond  culture,  we  find  H.  E.  Van  Deman, 
pomologist  to  the  Department  of  Agriculture,  dismissing 
the  subject  in  his  report  for  1892,  as  follows  : 

"I  only  mention  this  nut  to  state  to  all  experimen- 
ters that  it  is  useless  to  try  to  grow  the  almond  of  com- 
merce this  side  of  the  Eocky  mountains,  except,  possi- 
bly, in  New  Mexico  and  southwestern  Texas.  This  is 
thoroughly  established  by  many  reports  from  those  who 
have  tried  it  in  nearly  every  State  and  for  many  years 
past.  It  is  too  tender  in  the  North  and  does  not  bear  in 
the  South.  In  California  it  is  an  eminent  success. 


THE   ALMOND.  15 

"  The  flavor  of  the  hard-shelled  almond,  so  far  as  I 
have  tested  it,  is  little  or  no  better  than  a  peach  kernel, 
and  is  therefore  practically  worthless.  The  tree  of  this 
variety  is  about  as  hardy  as  the  peach,  and  bears  quite 
freely.  The  attention  paid  to  the  almond  in  the  Atlan- 
tic and  Central  States  might  well  be  given  to  other  nuts." 

This  is  certainly  a  very  easy  way  of  disposing  of  the 
cultivation  of  a  nut  which  has  so  long  figured  among 
our  importations  from  European  countries ;  besides,  no 
experiments  are  cited,  experimenters  named,  or  reasons 
given  why  almond  culture  is  a  failure  in  the  Southern 
States.  But  fortunately  there  are  men  in  the  South 
who  are  able  and  ready  to  give  reasons  for  their  opinions 
and  statements,  in  regard  to  the  cultivation  of  crops  or 
plants  with  which  they  have  become  familiar  through 
personal  experience.  When  I  asked  Mr.  P.  J.  Berck- 
mans,  Augusta,  Ga.,  president  of  the  American  Pomolog- 
ical  Society,  for  information  on  this  point,  he  promptly 
replied  as  follows  : 

"The  reason  that  almonds  are  not  cultivated  in 
Georgia  and  other  Southern  States  is  because  of  their 
early  blooming,  as  spring  frosts  usually  destroy  all  the 
blossoms.  We  have  tried  many  varieties  of  the  soft- 
shell  without  success.  The  hard-shell  will  occasionally 
bear  a  crop  of  fruit,  as  it  blooms  later,  and  the  blooms 
seem  to  resist  cold  better  than  the  other  varieties.  In 
middle  Florida  soft-shell  almonds  are  sometimes  success- 
ful, but  they  have  been  tried  so  sparingly  that  I  cannot 
obtain  any  satisfactory  reports." 

Admitting,  as  we  do,  that  President  Berckmans" 
long  experience  in  the  cultivation  of  nut  and  fruit  trees 
in  the  South  enables  him  to  speak  with  authority  on 
this  subject,  still,  we  have  some  encouragement  for  con- 
tinuing experiments  with  the  almond  in  regions  known 
to  be  favorable  for  the  cultivation  of  its  near  relative, 
the  peach.  Furthermore,  experiments  seem  to  be  want- 


16  THE   XUT   CULTURIST. 

ing  with  the  almond  in  the  more  elevated  regions  of  the 
northern  line  of  Southern  States,  also  in  Maryland,  Del- 
aware and  southern  New  Jersey,  near  the  seacoast,  or 
other  large  bodies  of  water,  which,  as  is  well  known, 
have  considerable  influence  in  retarding  the  early  bloom- 
ing of  fruit  trees,  as  well  as  warding  off  late  spring  and 
early  autumn  frosts. 

It  is  scarcely  reasonable  to  suppose  that  a  region 
of  country  as  extensive  as  that  of  one-half  of  the  Middle 
and  all  of  the  Southern  States,  with  a  range  of  climate 
admitting  of  the  successful  cultivation  of  such  hardy 
fruits  as  the  apple  and  pear,  and  from  these  down  to  the 
pineapple  and  cocoanut,  should  not  yield  a  locality  or 
localities  admirably  adapted  to  the  cultivation  of  the 
half-hardy  almond  tree.  It  is  no  doubt  true  that  there 
are  extensive  regions  in  the  South  where  late  spring- 
frosts  are  exceedingly  troublesome,  and  sometimes  dis- 
astrously so,  to  fruit  growers ;  but  even  these  have  their 
limits,  as  shown  in  the  vast  quantity  and  variety  of 
fruits  annually  produced  in  the  Southern  States.  But 
great  local  variations  in  climate  are  natural  to  all  coun- 
tries in  the  temperate  zone,  and  we  frequently  find  the 
most  favorable  and  the  unfavorable  for  fruit  culture 
within  a  few  miles  of  each  other. 

If  there  are  not  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  of 
acres  of  land  located  in  favorable  positions  between  Vir- 
ginia and  Florida,  adapted  to  produce  the  commercial 
almond  in  some  of  its  varieties,  then  we  must  confess 
that  the  study  of  climatology  is  of  little  use  to  the 
pomologist.  Furthermore,  all  the  varieties  of  the  so- 
called  hard-shelled  almonds  which  thrive  in  our  north- 
ern States  are  not  worthless,  neither  are  the  kernels 
of  all  of  them  "bitter,"  and  even  if  they  were,  they 
would  still  be  worth  cultivating,  else  we  would  not 
import  such  vast  quantities  from  Morocco  to  supply  the 
demand. 


THE   ALMOKD.  17 

If  none  of  the  thin-shelled  varieties  heretofore  tried 
in  the  South  are  successful,  it  is  time  that  either  our  ex- 
periment stations  or  individual  horticulturists  made  some 
attempt  to  produce  those  that  are  adapted  to  that  region 
of  country.  But  until  we  have  some  more  definite  infor- 
mation than  heretofore  disseminated,  in  regard  to  almond 
culture  in  the  South,  it  is  safe  to  conclude  that  failures 
in  the  past  have  been  due  mainly  to  want  of  judgment, 
or  knowledge  of  varieties  and  of  positions  for  the  orchard, 
with,  perhaps,  some  neglect  in  care  and  cultivation. 

In  California  almond  culture  has  been  pushed  with 
vigor  for  several  decades,  but  at  first  with  rather  indif- 
ferent results,  because  growers  depended  upon  noted 
European  varieties,  which,  as  experience  proved,  were 
not  adapted  to  the  soil  and  climate  of  the  country.  In 
a  paper  read  before  the  American  Pomological  Society 
at  its  session  held  at  Sacramento,  Cal.,  Jan.  16-18,  1895, 
Prof.  E.  J.  Wickson,  of  the  University  of  California, 
alluded  to  this  subject  of  almond  culture  in  the  State  as 
follows  :  "In  no  branch  of  this  effort  for  improved  va- 
rieties has  our  success  been  more  marked  than  in  the 
development  of  seedling  almonds.  The  achievements  of 
A.  T.  Hatch  in  this  line  are  too  well  known  to  require 
but  a  passing  allusion.  It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that 
this  work  rescued  almond  culture  to  California.  When 
he  began,  the  almond,  because  of  almost  universal  failure 
of  the  old  varieties,  was  a  jest  and  a  byword  in  our 
horticulture.  Nine-tenths  of  all  the  almonds  planted 
during  the  preceding  twenty-five  years  had  gone  for 
firewood  or  were  carrying  the  foliage  of  the  prune  to 
conceal  their  hated  stems.  At  the  present  time,  through 
the  dissemination  of  Mr.  Hatch's  varieties,  the  almond, 
in  all  regions  decently  adapted  to  the  tree,  is  productive 
and  profitable  and  has  a  future." 

That  almond  culture  in  California  is  rapidly  becom- 
ing an  important  and  successful  industry,  we  have  an 
2 


18 


THE   XUT   CULTURIST. 


THE   ALMOND.  1& 

ocular  demonstration  in  the  tons  of  these  valuable  nuts 
received  from  there  in  the  past  few  years,  and  placed  on 
sale  in  Eastern  markets.  If  one  man,  by  his  individual 
efforts,  can  revolutionize  or  establish  a  great  industry  in 
a  region  as  large  as  the  State  of  California,  it  is  not  too 
much  to  expect  that  something  of  the  kind  could  be 
done  elsewhere,  with  the  combined  efforts  of  several 
men.  If  the  varieties  heretofore  tried  in  the  East  are 
unsuited  to  the  climate,  it  is  certainly  within  the  range 
of  probabilities  that  others  better  adapted  to  surround- 
ing conditions  can  be  produced.  The  native  grape,, 
raspberry  and  strawberry  have  had  a  history  similar  to- 
the  almond,  but  now  all  are  extensively  and  successfully 
cultivated. 

Propagation  of  the  Almond. — The  propagation 
of  the  almond  is  identical  with  that  of  the  peach  :  that 
is,  from  seed  to  procure  new  varieties,  or  by  budding 
the  more  desirable  ones,  when  obtained,  upon  seedling 
almond,  peach  or  plum  stocks.  The  half-wild  hard- 
shelled  almond  is  probably  the  most  congenial  and  best 
stock  for  this  purpose,  but  seedlings  of  the  peach  are 
most  generally  employed  because  the  most  abundant  and 
cheapest.  Under  certain  conditions,  such  as  cold, 
heavy,  moist  soils,  and  where  rather  dwarfish  trees  are 
desired,  the  plum  may  be  employed  with  advantage  as  a 
stock,  but  it  is  not  to  be  recommended  for  general 
orchard  culture.  In  mild  climates  seedlings  of  the  best 
of  the  soft-shelled  varieties  may  be  raised  and  planted  in 
orchards  without  budding,  but  the  nuts  from  such  trees 
are  likely  to  be  somewhat  variable  in  size  and  quality, 
although  the  trees  will  usually  prove  to  be  as  healthy 
and  productive  as  those  subjected  to  artificial  modes  of 
propagation.  If,  however,  the  grower  desires  a  uniform 
product,  he  must  resort  to  the  usual  means  of  obtaining 
it ;  that  is,  multiplying  superior  or  distinct  varieties  by 
budding,  either  upon  peach,  almond  or  other  stocks. 


20  THE   NUT   CULTURIST. 

It  is  advisable,  as  well  as  exceedingly  important,  for 
all  who  intend  or  feel  inclined  to  cultivate  almonds  in 
regions  where  the  adaptation  of  this,  nut  has  not  been 
fully  established  by  years  of  practical  experience,  that 
seedlings  should  be  raised  in  large  numbers,  and  from 
these  a  selection  be  made  to  meet  the  requirements  of 
the  climate  and  other  conditions  under  which  they  are 
to  be  propagated  and  grown.  If  spring  frosts  have  been 
heretofore  inimical  to  the  cultivation  of  the  almond, 
then  the  production  of  late-blooming  varieties  would  be 
a  remedy.  There  will  also  be  variations  in  the  season 
of  ripening ;  some  may  come  on  too  early,  others  far  too 
late  for  special  localities,  but  all  these  faults  or  varia- 
tions may  be  readily  overcome  by  raising  seedlings,  and 
then  selecting  for  propagation  those  coming  nearest  ful- 
filling the  requirements  of  local  conditions  or  circum- 
stances. It  is  by  such  experiments  and  means  that  fruit 
culture  has  reached  its  present  position  in  this  and  all 
other  countries,  where  it  is  practiced  as  an  art  or  indus- 
trial pursuit.  Varieties  that  have  become  exceedingly 
popular  and  profitable  in  one  locality  or  country,  may 
not  have  succeeded  elsewhere,  and  this  holds  good  with 
all  cultivated  plants. 

In  making  experiments  with  the  almond  in  regions 
where  it  has  not  been  cultivated,  but  under  conditions 
which  appear  to  be  favorable,  I  would  certainly  advise 
testing  the  well-known  varieties  first,  and  if  these  fail, 
then  see  what  can  be  done  in  the  way  of  producing  new 
ones  adapted  to  the  locality  and  climate. 

Raising  Seedlings  for  Stocks. — In  warm  or 
moderately  mild  climates  the  nuts,  whether  peach  or 
almond,  may  be  planted  soon  after  they  are  gathered  in 
the  fall,  but  should  the  weather  continue  warm  and 
moist  the  nuts  will  sometimes  sprout  prematurely  and 
the  young  sprouts  get  -frosted  later  in  the  season,  and 
for  this  reason  it  is  better  to  store  them  in  a  cool  room, 


THE    ALMOXD.  21 

packed  in  dry  sand  or  soil,  until  the  approach  of  steady 
cold  weather,  and  then  plant.  Having  lost  choice  kinds 
of  nuts  from  being  in  too  great  haste  in  getting  them 
into  the  ground  in  the  fall,  I  am  prompted  to  give  this 
warning  to  those  who  have  had  no  experience  in  raising 
nut  trees.  If  not  convenient  to  plant  in  the  fall,  nuts 
of  all  kinds  may  be  packed  in  barrels,  boxes,  or  similar 
vessels,  mixed  with  or  stratified  with  sharp  sand  or  light 
soil,  then  stored  in  a  dry,  cool  place, — a  very  cool  cellar 
will  answer,  but  in  my  experience,  out  of  doors  is  pref- 
erable,— and  in  the  shade  of  some  evergreen  tree  or  on 
the  north  side  of  a  building,  and  there  banked  over  with 
earth  just  sufficient  to  keep  the  nuts  at  an  equably  low 
temperature.  It  is  advisable  to  have  a  few  small  holes 
in  the  bottom  of  the  barrels  or  boxes,  to  insure  proper 
drainage,  should  any  considerable  amount  of  water  get 
in  at  the  top  ;  but  this  will  not  occur  if  the  vessels  are 
properly  covered  with  boards  when  placed  in  position 
for  winter. 

It  must  also  be  kept  in  mind  that  mice,  squirrels 
and  chipmunks  are  fond  of  almonds  and  other  kinds  of 
edible  nuts,  and  if  placed  where  these  little  rodents  can 
find  them,  they  are  sure  to  take  a  share,  or  perhaps  the 
entire  store,  before  their  visits  are  discovered.  I  have 
known  field  mice  to  dig  down  under  boxes  of  nuts,  en- 
large the  holes  left  for  drainage,  and  spend  the  winter 
among  the  chestnuts  which  I  had  put  away  for  planting 
in  spring.  The  safest  way  is  to  place  fine  wire  netting 
on  the  bottom  of  the  box,  and  then  cover  it  with  the 
same.  Owing  to  the  abundance  of  mice  and  other  little 
nut-eating  animals,  I  have  never  dared  to  plant  out  nuts 
in  the  fall,  and  so  have  always  stored  them  in  sand,  but 
out  of  doors  during  the  winter,  and  well  covered  with 
earth.  In  other  lacalities  it  may  be  safe  to  sow  in 
autumn,  and  if  protection  from  vermin  is  required,  coat 
the  nuts  with  gas  tar,  the  same  as  practiced  by  farmers 


22  THE   XUT   CULTURTST. 

in  protecting  seed  corn  against  the  attacks  of  crows  and 
other  corn-pulling  birds.  One  pint  of  warm  tar  will  be 
sufficient  for  a  bushel  of  nuts,  and  the  application  is 
readily  made  by  placing  the  nuts  in  a  barrel,  pouring  the 
tar  on  them,  and  stirring  with  a  stick  until  every  nut  is 
coated.  To  prevent  the  tar  sticking  to  the  hands  in 
planting,  dust  the  nuts  with  dry  wood  ashes,  land  plas- 
ter, or  fine  dry  sand. 

If  peach  stones  are  to  be  planted  for  stocks  they 
may  be  put  into  the  ground  as  soon  as  ready  in  autumn, 
because  they  are  rarely  disturbed  by  vermin  ;  or  if  more 
convenient,  mix  with  common  soil,  and  in  heaps,  in  the 
open  ground,  and  leave  in  this  position  until  spring, 
then  pick  out  as  they  begin  to  sprout,  and  plant.  The 
hard-shelled  almond  may  be  treated  in  the  same  way, 
only  they  are  not  to  be  handled  quite  as  roughly  as  peach 
stones,  and  for  protection  it  is  best  to  put  them  in  bar- 
rels or  boxes,  as  described  above. 

When  ready  for  planting  take  out  the  nuts  and  drop 
them  in  shallow  drills,  one  every  ten  or  twelve  inches, 
then  cover  with  about  two  inches  of  soil.  It  is  to  be  sup- 
posed, of  course,  that  a  seed  bed  has  been  prepared,  by 
thorough  working  over  and  enriching,  if  necessary,  in 
advance  of  planting.  The  distance  between  the  drills 
or  rows  should  be  sufficient  to  admit  of  cultivating  the 
plants  with  a  horse  or  mule,  and  cultivator,  during  the 
summer,  and  if  this  is  done  and  the  soil  stirred  often 
enough  to  keep  down  all  weeds,  the  stocks  should  be- 
come large  enough  to  admit  of  budding  the  first  season ; 
if  not,  then  this  operation  must  be  deferred  until  the 
following  year.  But  in  case  the  seedlings  are  raised  from 
choice  varieties  and  to  be  left  in  their  natural  condition 
for  fruiting,  they  may  be  lifted  when  one  or  two  seasons 
old  and  set  where  they  are  to  remain  permanently. 

The  Season  for  Budding. — So  much  depends 
upon  climate,  location,  and  variation  of  seasons,  that  no 


THE    ALMOND.  23 

special  date  or  time  can  be  given  for  budding  trees  of 
any  kind,  but  it  is  always  to  be  done  while  the  stocks 
are  in  active  growth,  because  the  bark  must  part  freely 
from  the  wood  underneath,  in  order  to  admit  of  insert- 
ing the  bud  under  it.  If  the  buds  are  set  too  early  in 
the  season  there  is  danger  of  a  premature  growth ;  that 
is,  of  pushing  out  a  shoot  in  the  fall  instead  of  remaining 
dormant  until  the  following  spring.  Under  certain  con- 
ditions, however,  and  for  special  purposes,  it  may  be 
advisable  to  force  the  buds  as  soon  as  they  have  formed 
a  union  with  the  stock,  but  as  a  rule,  in  the  propagation 
of  hardy  and  half-hardy  trees,  it  is  better  to  keep  the 
buds  dormant  during  the  cool  or  cold  winter  months. 

Here  in  the  Northern  States  we  usually  begin  to 
look  over  our  stocks  during  the  latter  part  of  July  or 
first  week  in  August,  and  note  their  progress  and  condi- 
tion. Should  they  show  the  least  signs  of  cessation  of 
growth,  we  begin  budding  them,  and  push  the  work  as 
rapidly  as  possible.  If  the  season  is  a  wet  one  the  stocks 
may  continue  to  grow  and  remain  in  good  condition  for 
budding  until  the  middle  of  September ;  but  in  a  dry 
season  they  may  cease  to  grow  in  August,  and  it  is  these 
variable  conditions  which  gives  to  the  close  observer  and 
man  of  experience  such  an  advantage  over  the  novice  in 
the  propagation  of  plants.  It  is  better  to  begin  budding 
too  early  than  to  be  a  few  days  too  late. 

The  operation  called  budding  consists  in  taking  a 
bud,  with  a  small  portion  of  the  bark  adjoining,  from 
one  plant,  and  inserting  it  in  another,  or  in  some  other 
part  of  the  same  plant  from  which  it  was  taken.  The 
physiological  principles  which  govern  the  operation  are, 
that  there  must  exist  an  affinity  between  the  plant  from 
which  the  bud  is  taken  and  the  one  upon  which  it  is  to 
be  placed,  and  the  nearer  the  relationship  the  more 
readily  will  it  unite  and  the  more  perfect  the  union. 
For  instance,  the  cultivated  peach  and  almond  are  sup- 


24  THE   HUT   CULTUEIST. 

posed  to  be  of  the  same  origin,  and  descendants  of  one 
original  species ;  consequently  there  is  a  close  relation- 
ship between  the  varieties  of  both  sections,  and  their 
seedlings  may  be  employed  indiscriminately  for  stocks. 
The  next  nearest  relatives  in  the  family  line  are  the 
plums  (Prunus),  some  of  which  answer  very  well  as 
stocks  for  the  almond,  although  very  rarely  used  for 


FIG.  2.     BUDDING  KNIFE. 

this  purpose.  The  next  group  in  the  line  of  botanical 
relationship  are  the  cherries  (Primus  cerasus),  "but  these 
are  too  far  removed  to  be  employed  as  stocks  for  either 
the  peach  or  almond. 

For  budding  are  necessary  a  small  knife  for  prepar- 
ing the  buds  for  insertion  and  making  an  incision  in  the 
bark  of  the  stock  to  admit  them  ;  and  a  quantity  of 
some  material  to  tie  around  the  stock,  so  as  to  hold  the 


FIG.  3.     YANKEE  BUDDING  KNIFE. 


bud  in  place.  Budding  knives  are  made  after  various 
patterns ;  one  that  is  commonly  used  has  an  ivory  or 
bone  handle,  made  very  thin  at  the  end,  that  is  used  to 
peel  the  bark  from  the  stock  where  the  bud  is  to  be  in- 
serted (Fig.  2).  Another  form  of  budding  knife  is  made 
with  a  horn  handle,  and  a  small  tapering  piece  of  ivory 
fastened  in  the  end.  These  knives,  of  various  shapes 
and  sizes,  can  be  had  at  the  seed  stores  ;  but  another  and 
quite  a  different  form  of  budding  knife  is  shown  in  Fig. 
3,  and  is  known  as  the  "Yankee  budding  knife."  It  is 


THE   ALMOND.  25 

merely  a  small  one-bladed  pocket  knife  with  a  thin 
blade,  round  at  the  end.  The  cutting  portion  extends 
about  one-third  around  the  end  of  the  blade  and  two- 
thirds  of  its  length,  leaving  the  lower  part  dull.  Al- 
though this  form  of  budding  knife  has  been  in  constant 
use  in  some  of  the  older  nurseries  in  this  country  for 
nearly  a  century,  it  does  not  appear  to  have  been  manu- 
factured for  the  general  trade,  but  only  on  special  orders 
for  nurserymen.  It  is  so  simple  a  knife,  however,  that 
with  a  little  grinding  almost  any  small  one-bladed  pocket 
knife  can  be  transformed  into  one  of  these  handy  bud- 
ding knives.  The  rounded  end  of  the  blade  is  used  for 
lifting  the  bark,  and  for  rapid  work  it  is  far  more  con- 
venient than  any  form  of  knife  that  must  be  reversed  in 
the  hand  every  time  a  bud  is  inserted.  In  addition,  a 
polished  bit  of  steel  is  smoother  and  far  less  likely  to 
lacerate  the  alburnous  matter  between  the  bark  and 
wood  than  the  best  piece  of  bone  or  ivory.  It  may  be 
said,  however,  that  it  is  immaterial  what  form  of  knife 
is  employed,  provided  it  has  a  keen  edge  and  is  dexter- 
ously used. 

The  material  most  commonly  used  in  times  past  for 
tying  in  the  bud  is  the  inner  bark  of  the  linden  or  bass- 
wood  tree,  usually  called  bass,  and  always  to  be  pro- 
cured in  the  form  of  mats,  or  as  prepared  from  our 
indigenous  bass  woods  and  kept  on  sale  at  the  seed  stores. 
Recently,  however,  another  excellent  tying  material  has 
come  into  use,  known  in  the  trade  as  raffia  or  roffia.  It  is 
the  cuticle  of  the  Jupati  palms.  One  species  (Raphia 
tcBcligera)  is  a  native  of  the  lower  valley  of  the  Amazon 
and  Orinoco,  and  another  (R.  Ruffia)  of  Madagascar  and 
adjacent  islands.  Raffia  is  somewhat  softer  and  more 
pliable  than  the  ordinary  bass,  although  it  does  not  hold 
its  form  quite  as  well ;  but  it  is  so  cheap,  soft  and  strong, 
that  it  has  become  very  popular,  and  is  extensively  used 
for  budding  and  many  other  purposes.  But  if  none  of 


THE   NUT   CULTURIST. 


these  tying  materials  are  at  band/  the  inner  bark  of  the 
persimmon,  corn  husks,  cotton  twine,  woolen  yarn,  or 
even  strips  of  old  muslin  and  calico  may  be  employed 
with  equally  as  good  results,  although  not  as  handy  and 
convenient  for  such  purposes.  The  amateur,  with  only 
a  few  stocks  to  bud,  can  readily 
improvise  implements  and  materi- 
als for  doing  the  work,  even  if 
they  are  not  of  the  regulation  type. 
In  selecting  buds,  the  young  shoots 
of  the  present  season's  growth 
are  preferred,  and  these  should  be 
taken  from  the  most  healthy  and 
vigorous  branches  of  bearing  trees, 
if  possible.  The  leaves  should  be 
immediately  removed,  not  by 
breaking  or  pulling  off  with  the 
hand,  but  by  severing  the  leaf- 
stalks with  a  knife,  as  shown  in 
Fig.  4.  If  the  leaves  have  fallen 
from  the  twig,  the  buds  may  be 
too  ripe,  with  some  kinds  of 
plants,  but  with  the  almond,  and 
where  only  a  few  leaves  near  the 
base  have  dropped,  all  may  be 
used  with  fair  success.  If  there 
are  any  soft  and  immature  buds 
on  the  upper  part  of  the  shoot,  or 
any  undeveloped  ones  at  the  base, 
they  should  be  rejected.  Success 
FIG.  4.  PREPARED  SHOOT.  jn  budding  depends  very  largely 
upon  the  condition  of  the  stocks  at  the  time  the  opera- 
tion is  performed.  Unless  the  sap  is  flowing  and  in 
sufficient  abundance  to  allow  the  bark  to  part  or  peel 
readily  from  the  wood  underneath,  the  bud  is  certain  to 
fail.  If  the  buds  used  should  happen  to  be  a  little  over- 


THE   ALMOND.  27 

ripe  or  wholly  dormant  when  placed  in  direct  contact 
with  the  living  tissues  and  the  juices  of  the  stock, 
they  will  absorb  moisture  and  nutriment,  and  be  as 
likely  to  unite  and  live  as  under  opposite  conditions. 

In  performing  the  operation  of  budding,  the  follow- 
ing rules  may  be  observed  :  Take  the  twig  from  which 
the  buds  are  to  be  removed,  in  the  left  hand,  with  the 
small  end  pointing  under  the  left  arnij  insert  the  knife- 
blade  half  an  inch,  or  a  little  more,  below  the  bud,  cut- 
ting through  the  bark  and  a  little  into  the  wood ;  pass 
the  knife  under  the  bud,  and  bring  it  out 
about  the  same  distance  above  it,  taking  off 
the  bud  with  the  bark,  and  a  thin  slice  of 
wood  attached,  as  at  c,  Fig.  4.  Then,  if 
using  the  Yankee  budding  knife,  or  one  of 
similar  form,  let  the  forefinger  clasp  the 
lower  part  of  the  blade,  make  the  horizontal 
incision  in  the  stock  first,  and  from  this  an 
incision  downward  about  an  inch  long, — 
or  it  may  be  twice  this  length  without  doing 
any  harm, — being  careful  not  to  cut  too 
deep.  Lift  up  the  edge  of  the  bark  by  pass- 
ing the  back  of  the  end  of  the  blade  (with- 
out removing  it)  up  to  the  horizontal  inci-  FIG.  5.  INCI- 
sion.  Lift  the  bark  on  the  other  side  in  the  SIGN  FOR  BUD. 
same  manner,  the  two  incisions  making  a  wound  in  the 
stock  resembling  the  letter  T,  as  shown  in  Fig.  5.  If 
other  forms  of  budding  knives  are  used,  the  thin  end  of 
the  ivory  handle  is  thrust  under  the  bark,  raising  it 
sufficiently  to  admit  the  bud.  The  budder  holds  the 
bud  between  the  thumb  and  forefinger  of  his  left  hand 
while  making  the  incision  in  the  stock ;  and  as  the  knife 
leaves  it  he  places  the  lower  point  of  the  bark  attached 
to  the  bud  under  the  bark  of  the  stock  before  this  falls 
back  into  place,  and  thrusts  it  down  into  position.  If 
the  upper  end  of  the  bark  attached  to  the  bud  does  not 


28 


THE   NUT   CULTURIST. 


pass  completely  under  the  bark  of  the  stock,  it  must  be 
cut  across,  so  as  to  allow  that  which  remains  with  the 
bud  to  fall  into  place  and  rest  firmly  on  the  wood  of  the 
stock,  as  shown  in  Fig.  6. 

When  the  bud  is  in  position  and  fitted  to  the  stock, 
as  shown,  wind  the  raffia,  or  other  material  used,  around 
the  stock,  both  above  and  below,  covering  the  entire 
incision,  leaving  only  the  bud  and  part  of  leafstalk  un- 
covered. Of  course  experienced  propagators  have  their 
own  individual  systems  and  modes  of  operation,  but  the 
above  may  be  taken  as  a  safe  guide  for  the 
amateur  budder.  The  ligatures  should  be 
loosened  or  removed  as  soon  as  the  bud 
has  become  firmly  united  with  the  stock, 
which  will  usually  be  in  ten  or  fifteen 
days,  if  at  all.  When  the  buds  have  failed, 
others  may  be  inserted,  provided,  of  course, 
the  stocks  are  in  condition  to  admit  of  the 
operation.  Exceptions,  however,  may  be 
made  where  the  budding  has  been  done  so 
late  in  the  season  that  the  stock  has  ceased 
to  grow  by  the  time  the  buds  have  taken, 
and  in  such  cases  the  ligatures  may  be  left 
on  later  and  removed  any  time  before 
winter.  In  cold  climates  the  snow,  ice 
and  water  are  likely  to  get  in  around  the  bud  if  the 
ligatures  are  not  removed.  But  where  the  stocks  are 
vigorous  and  the  buds  set  early,  there  will  be  danger 
of  the  ligatures  cutting  into  the  bark  as  the  stocks  swell 
or  increase  in  diameter,  unless  they  are  loosened  or  en- 
tirely removed. 

Under  ordinary  circumstances  budded  stocks  should 
not  be  headed  back  until  the  following  spring,  and  then 
should  be  cut  off  two  or  three  inches  above  the  inserted 
bud ;  and  when  this  pushes  into  growth,  all  suckers  and 
sprouts  below  and  above  it  should  be  rubbed  off  as  they 


FIG.  6.     BUD  IN 
POSITION. 


THE   ALMOND.  29 

appear,  for  the  object  is  to  throw  the  entire  strength  of 
the  stock  into  this  one  bud,  and  when  this  has  made  a 
growth  of  two  or  three  feet  the  short  stump  of  the  stock 
above  the  base  of  the  shoot  may  be  carefully  removed 
with  a  sharp  knife.  This  is  usually  done  the  last  of 
July  or  first  of  August,  which  gives  time  for  the  healing 
of  the  wound  before  the  close  of  the  growing  season. 
Sometimes  it  may  be  necessary  to  place  small  stakes  by 
the  side  of  these  shoots  for  their  support  and  to  prevent 
breaking  at  the  point  of  union  with  the  stock;  but 
this  will  rarely  be  necessary,  except  in  very  exposed 
situations. 

If  the  young  trees  make  a  fairly  good  growth  they 
will  be  ready  for  planting  out  in  the  orchard  the  follow- 
ing spring,  and  one-year-old  almond  trees  are  usually 
preferable  for  transplanting  than  older.  It  is  not  ad- 
visable to  prune  these  young  trees  during  the  growing 
season  the  first  summer,  but  allow  all  the  side  shoots  or 
branches  to  grow  unchecked,  for  by  so  doing  we  secure 
a  more  stocky  plant,  if  not  as  tall  a  one,  than  we  would 
if  trimming  up  was  practiced.  But  when  the  trees  are 
taken  up  for  transplanting,  in  the  late  fall  or  early 
spring,  then  they  may  be  pruned  and  the  lateral 
branches  cut  ofi°  close  to  the  main  stem,  leaving  a  naked 
rod,  and  if  low-headed  trees  are  desired  (and  they  usu- 
ally are),  cut  back  the  main  stem  to  about  three  feet 
from  the  ground.  If  the  young  trees  have  made  a 
growth  of  from  four  to  six  feet,  then  prune  away  the 
lateral  branches  to  a  hight  of  three  feet  or  a  little  more, 
and  cut  in  all  branches  above  this  point  to  within  four 
to  six  inches  of  the  main  stem,  leaving  the  buds  on  these 
stumps  to  form  the  head  of  the  tree.  Four  or  five 
branches  at  the  top  of  the  stem  will  be  sufficient  for  the 
foundation  for  an  open,  round-headed  tree,  or  in  what 
may  be  termed  a  vase  form,  which  is  the  best  for 
almonds. 


30  THE    XUT   CULTURIST. 

Soil  and  Exposure  for  Almonds. — The  almond 
requires  a  warm,  rather  light  and  well-drained  soil. 
Cold,  heavy  clays,  and  low,  moist  soils,  whether  light  or 
heavy,  are  always  to  be  avoided  for  the  almond  and 
closely  allied  trees.  That  the  soil  should  be  moderately 
rich  is,  of  course,  a  condition  required  with  all  culti- 
vated nut  and  fruit  trees,  but  over-stimulation  may  re- 
sult in  excessive  and  immature  growth  late  in  the  sea- 
son, this  leaving  the  twigs  in  such  a  state  that  they  will 
be  unable  to  resist  even  a  few  degrees  of  frost,  to  which 
they  may  be  subjected  the  ensuing  winter.  In  what  are 
generally  termed  mild  climates,  or  where  the  tempera- 
ture seldom  goes  more  than  four  to  six  degrees  below  the 
freezing  point,  hardy  trees,  if  they  have  made  a  late 
growth,  are  often  injured  more  than  they  would  have 
been  in  a  colder  climate,  with  early  matured  wood. 
There  are  many  kinds  of  what  we  consider  very  hardy 
trees  and  shrubs  here  in  the  North,  that  are  very  likely 
to  be  winterkilled  or  severely  frosted  when  grown  at 
the  South,  simply  because  the  conditions  are  such  that 
they  do  not  ripen  up  in  time  to  resist  the  cold. 

In  touching  upon  the  subject  of  location  for  an 
almond  orchard  east  of  the  Mississippi,  I  should  be 
inclined  to  relegate  this  valuable  nut  to  semi-tropical 
Florida,  were  it  not  for  the  fact  that  almost  a  score  of 
ornamental  species  and  varieties  of  the  same  genus, — to 
say  nothing  of  the  widely  cultivated  peach, — nourish 
over  a  very  wide  range  of  country  and  climate,  and 
nowhere  better  than  near  the  Atlantic  ocean  in  the  Mid- 
dle and  some  of  the  Northern  States.  It  is  also  gener- 
ally conceded  that  several  of  what  are  called  hard-shelled 
varieties  thrive  and  bear  fruit  in  nearly  all  of  our  best 
peach-growing  regions.  From  all  that  I  have  been  able 
to  learn  of  almond  culture,  and  with  my  own  limited 
experience  with  this  nut,  experiments  are  wanting  to 
prove  that  it  cannot  be  successfully  cultivated  in  the 


THE   ALMOND.  31 

peach -growing  region  of  the  Eastern  States.  I  will  not 
say  "profitably"  cultivated,  for  this  is  a  rather  vague 
term  when  applied  to  horticultural  operations  of  any 
kind.  Success  is  not  synonymous  with  profit ;  in  fact, 
it  is  frequently  quite  the  opposite,  and  an  abundant 
crop  may  mean  glutted  markets  and  a  corresponding 
loss  to  the  producer.  But,  to  return  to  location,  the 
principal  cause  of  failure  in  almond  culture,  where  it 
has  been  tried  in  the  older  States,  seems  to  be  the  early 
blooming  of  the  trees  and  subsequent  destruction  of  the 
embryo  fruit  by  frosts.  To  avoid  this,  high,  open,  airy 
situations,  and  even  the  north  side  of  hills,  would  cer- 
tainly be  preferable  to  southern  slopes  and  protected 
locations,  especially  in  the  South  or  where  the  tempera- 
ture in  winter  does  not  go  low  enough  to  kill  the  wood 
of  the  previous  season's  growth.  Theoretically,  we  might 
suppose  that  there  are  many  locations  favorable  to  al- 
mond culture  in  the  elevated  regions  of  North  Carolina 
and  Tennessee,  as  well  as  in  the  northern  tier  of  counties 
in  Alabama  and  Georgia.  But  in  the  absence  of  carefully 
conducted  experiments  in  these  regions,  we  have  only  to 
wait  for  their  consummation  at  some  future  time,  to 
prove  the  truth  or  falsity  of  our  theory. 

In  the  rich,  warm  valleys  of  New  Mexico,  Arizona 
and  California,  congenial  locations  are  plentiful,  inas- 
much as  almost  every  variety  of  climate  is  at  hand,  with 
a  temperature  ranging  from  that  of  perpetual  summer 
to  the  opposite  extreme,  and  all  to  be  found  within  a 
few  miles,  and  frequently  to  be  found  in  the  same 
county.  Under  such  conditions,  it  rests  with  the  would- 
be  cultivator  to  decide  upon  the  kinds  of  fruits  desired, 
then  to  seek  a  location  best  adapted  to  his  purpose. 

If,  as  claimed, — but  not  proven, — there  are  no 
limited  or  extended  areas  fitted  for  almond  culture  east 
of  the  Mississippi  river,  there  are  certainly  plenty  of  such 
west  of  it,  awaiting  the  industrious  and  intelligent  nut 


32  THE   NUT   CULTUHIST. 

culturist.  Almond  orchards  have  been  planted  in  Cali- 
fornia and  Arizona,  and  the  quality  of  the  nuts,  as  well 
as  the  quantity,  is  very  satisfactory ;  but  a  greater 
number  and  more  extensive  orchards  are  needed  to  meet 
the  home  demand. 

Planting  and  Pruning. — In  planting  and  pruning 
the  almond  tree  the  same  system  should  be  adopted 
as  with  its  near  relative,  the  peach.  One-year-old  bud- 
ded trees  are  preferred  for  planting  in  an  orchard,  to 
older,  except  in  the  case  of  seedlings,  then  t \vo-year-old 
may  be  selected,  because  these  are  seldom  larger  than 
one-year  budded  trees.  The  trees  should  be  set  fifteen 
to  eighteen  feet  apart,  varying  the  distance  according  to 
variety,  soil,  and  other  local  conditions,  and  it  is  best  to 
place  them  in  rows  and  at  right  angles,  in  order  to  ad- 
mit of  cultivating  both  ways,  as  it  is  termed,  thereby 
saving  as  much  hand  labor  as  possible.  For  the  first 
two  or  three  years  after  planting,  all  weeds  and  grass 
should  be  kept  away  from  the  stems  and  over  the  roots, 
either  by  frequent  hoeing,  or  covering  with  a  mulch. 
The  best  way,  perhaps,  to  prevent  the  growth  of  weeds, 
is  to  use  the  land  among  the  trees  for  some  low-growing 
crops,  such  as  beans,  tomatoes,  melons  or  potatoes,  then 
see  that  the  workmen,  when  hoeing  these  crops,  hoe  up 
the  weeds  and  grass  about  the  trees  at  the  same  time. 
We  might  reasonably  suppose  that  the  most  careless  cul- 
tivator of  trees  would  think  of  this,  but,  unfortunately, 
extended  observation  proves  quite  the  contrary,  and  it 
is  scarcely  possible  to  go  through  any  very  extensive 
fruit-growing  region  without  seeing  many  such  instances 
of  neglect.  A  square  yard  or  more  of  tough  sward  is 
frequently  left  for  years  undisturbed  about  the  stems 
of  all  the  trees  in  an  orchard,  while  the  little  annual 
plants  growing  near  by,  and  not  worth,  at  an  extreme 
valuation,  five  cents  each,  are  cultivated  with  the  great- 
est care. 


THE   ALMOKD.  33 

The  first  pruning  of  the  trees  should  be  done  at  the 
time  of  transplanting  from  the  nursery  rows,  as  directed 
on  a  preceding  page,  and  from  the  top  of  the  stem  only 
three  or  four  shoots  allowed  to  grow  the  first  season,  all 
others  being  rubbed  off  as  soon  as  -they  appear,  or  when 
they  have  made  a  growth  of  two  or  three  inches.  These 
three  or  four  upper  branches  are  to  become  the  founda- 
tion of  the  future  head  of  the  tree,  and  should  be  allowed 
to  grow  unchecked  the  first  season ;  the  next  spring  cut 
back  one-half  to  two-thirds  of  their  original  length. 
This  pruning  will  force  out  strong  side  or  lateral  shoots 
near  the  base,  thus  giving  a  sturdy  foundation  to  build 
upon  later,  the  primer  keeping  in  mind  that  the  weaker 
the  growth  the  more  severe  should  be  the  pruning. 
Better  leave  a  few  strong  buds,  from  which  vigorous 
shoots  will  be  produced,  than  a  great  number  succeeded 
by  many  feeble  twigs.  If  blossoms  and  fruit  appear  on 
the  young  two-year-old  trees,  a  limited  number  may  be 
left  to  mature,  although  no  considerable  crop  ought  to 
be  gathered  before  the  third  year. 

In  after  years  a  somewhat  different  system  of  prun- 
ing may  be  adopted,  keeping  in  view  the  fact  that  the 
fruit  buds  and  fruit  are  always  produced  on  the  young 
shoots  of  the  previous  season's  growth,  and  for  this  rea- 
son an  annual  renewal  of  such  parts  of  the  tree  is  abso- 
lutely required,  in  order  to  secure  a  good  crop  on  trees 
of  any  age.  In  some  localities  and  countries  it  may  be 
possible  that  almond  trees  produce  a  crop  every  year ; 
but  this  is  scarcely  to  be  expected  anywhere.  Conse- 
quently a  system  of  pruning  should  be  followed  which 
will  conform  to  the  variations  of  circumstances  and  con- 
ditions ;  and  this  brings  us  to  the  consideration  of — 

The  Proper  Time  to  Prune. — If  the  growth  of 

the  trees  and  their  fruiting  were  always  uniform,  then 

we  might  readily  adopt  some  invariable  system  and  season 

for  pruning;  but  as  we  are  dealing  with  uncertainties, 

3 


34  THE   NUT   Ct'LTURIST. 

our  rules  must  be  equally  flexible  and  variable.  If  the 
season  is  favorable,  and  the  trees  bloom  freely  and  fruit- 
sets  abundantly,  we  may  proceed  to  prune  as  soon  as 
the  embryo  nuts  are  as  large  as  peas, — but  only  cutting 
back  some  of  the  largest  bearing  shoots,  and  thinning 
out  others  here  and  there,  just  enough  to  equalize  and 
evenly  distribute  the  crop  through  the  head  of  the  tree. 
But  in  case  the  frost  or  cold  of  winter  has  destroyed 
the  crop  for  the  season,  then  as  soon  as  this  is  discov- 
ered, prune  and  cut  back  all  the  shoots  and  branches 
sufficient  to  insure  a  vigorous  growth  of  young  bearing 
wood  for  the  ensuing  year.  Under  this  system  of  prun- 
ing we  fix  the  time  as  after  blooming  in  the  spring,  in 
order  to  have  our  work  correspond  to  circumstances  and 
conditions,  and  where  there  is  a  crop  in  prospect  the 
pruning  is  comparatively  light ;  but  if  there  is  to  be  no 
fruit,  or  but  little,  then  one  should  aim  to  produce  an 
abundance  of  bearing  shoots  for  the  following  season. 
In  other  words,  we  prune  severely  in  non-bearing  years, 
whether  they  occur  alternately  or  otherwise ;  but  this 
system  is  only  applicable  to  trees  like  the  almond  and 
peach,  which  produce  their  fruit  on  the  shoots  of  the 
preceding  year's  growth. 

VARIETIES   OF   THE  ALMOND. 

Almonds  are  usually  divided  into  three  groups,  viz.  : 
Bitter,  hard-shelled,  and  soft,  or  paper-shelled.  In 
each  there  are  many  varieties,  although  they  are 
rarely  known  in  market  except  by  the  general  name 
of  the  group  to  which  they  belong.  If  they  are  soft, 
hard  or  bitter,  this  is  sufficient  designation  for  commer- 
cial purposes,  with,  perhaps,  the  addition  of  the  name 
of  country  in  which  they  were  grown,  or  that  of  the 
city  or  seaport  from  whence  exported. 

Bitter  Almond,  Amygdalus  communis  amara. — 
The  varieties  of  this  group  are  not  specifically  distinct, 


THE   ALMOKD.  35 

and  some  have  soft,  thin  shells,  while  others  are  thick 
and  hard ;  but  the  karnels  are  very  bitter,  hence  the 
name.  But  in  the  countries  where  these  almonds  are 
most  extensively  cultivated,  as  in  the  South  of  France* 
Austria,  Spain  and  Greece,  the  trees"  are  generally  raised 
from  the  nut,  and,  as  might  be  expected,  the  crop  pro- 
duced under  such  conditions  is  exceedingly  variable,  the 
nuts  being  large  or  small,  and  the  shells  of  various  de- 
grees of  hardness,  with  an  occasional  tree  producing 
both  bitter  and  sweet  kerneled  nuts.  These  wilding 
trees  are,  in  the  main,  more  hardy  than  the  improved 
varieties,  hence  are  largely  employed  as  stocks  for  the; 
better  sorts,  as  well  as  for  the  plum  and  apricot.  It  is: 
also  claimed  that,  as  a  rule,  the  bitter  almond  trees 
bloom  later  in  the  spring  than  those  of  the  other  two 
groups,  and  for  this  reason  are  not  so  liable  to  be  injured 
by  spring  frosts.  The  trees  are  hardy  in  all  of  our  most 
favorable  peach-growing  regions  of  the  Middle  and 
"Northern  States,  but  some  of  the  varieties  ripen  rather 
too  late  for  localities  north  of  the  latitude  of  New  York 
city.  All  this,  however,  and  other  obstacles,  will  soon 
disappear,  whenever  the  time  arrives  for  our  horticultur- 
ists to  take  up  almond  culture  and  pursue  it  with  half 
the  zeal  they  have  the  cultivation  of  the  peach  and  many 
other  kinds  of  fruits. 

Hard-Shelled  Almond,  A.  c.  dulcis,  or  swcet- 
kerneled  almond. — The  varieties  of  this  group,  as  a 
whole,  differ  from  those  of  thernext  only  in  the  firmness 
of  their  shells,  which  are  moderately  firm,  with  a  slightly 
rough  and  deeply  pitted  surface,  as  shown  in  Fig.  7. 
Varieties  of  this  group  are  fully  as  large  as,  and  perhaps 
a  little  longer  than  the  thin-shelled,  and  the  kernels  are 
fully  as  valuable  when  removed  and  sold  as  shelled 
almonds.  It  may  require  a  little  more  labor  to  crack 
and  remove  the  kernels  for  market,  but  the  difference  is 
scarcely  worth  taking  into  consideration  by  the  grower, 


36  THE   NUT   CULTURIST. 

The  common  sweet,  hard-shelled  almond  thrives  in 
peach-growing  regions  as  far  north  as  Central  New  York, 
and  I  well  remember  of  seeing  trees  loaded  with  these 
nuts,  in  my  boyhood  days,  in  the  western  part  of  the 
State.  The  late  Patrick  Barry,  in  the  Fruit  Garden, 
when  referring  to  this  nut,  says  :  "This  is  a  hardy  and 
productive  tree,  succeeding  well  in  the  climate  of  West- 
ern New  York,  and  still  farther  north.  Nut  very  large, 
with  a  hard  shell  and  a  large  sweet  kernel ;  ripe  here 
(Rochester)  about  the  first  of  Octo- 
ber. The  tree  is  very  vigorous,  has 
mooth,  glaucous  leaves,  and  when 
in  bloom  in  the  spring  is  more  bril- 
liant and  showy  than  any  other  fruit 
tree." 

Nearly  every  one  of  our  noted 
horticulturists  who  have  said  any- 
thing about  almond  culture  in  the 
North,  agree  with  Mr.  Barry  in  re- 
gard to  the  beauty  of  this  tree  and 
no.  7.  HARD-SHELLED  its  product!  veness  \  but  it  is  well  to 
ALMOND.  keep  jn  mjnc[  that  it  is  no«nore  to 

be  depended  upon  than  the  peach,  and  the  barren  years 
will  far  outnumber  the  bearing  ones.  But  the  almond 
is  probably  as  certain  here  as  in  France,  where  it  is  cul- 
tivated extensively  as  an  article  of  commerce,  although 
a  full  crop  once  in  about  five  years  is  about  all  that  is 
expected.  We  can  probably  do  much  better  than  this, 
especially  if  proper  attention  is  given  to  the  production 
of  new  varieties  adapted  to  our  climate,  as  has  been  done 
in  California  with  the  almond,  and  here  in  the  East  with 
the  peach  and  many  other  kinds  of  fruits ;  and  when 
such  have  been  secured,  proceed  to  multiply  them  in  the 
usual  mode  of  budding  upon  seedling  stocks. 

Soft,   or   Brittle-Shelled,      A.  c.    fragiUs.—ln 
this    group  we    have   many   distinct  varieties,   besides 


THE    ALMOND. 


37 


FIG.  8.     THIX-SHELLED 
ALMOND. 


others  which  are  known  by  local  names,  but  have  no- 
permanent  and  pronounced  distinguishing  character- 
istics that  would  aid  in  separating  them,  should  this  be 
desired.  The  most  common  form,  widely  known  as  the 
sweet-kerneled  thin-shelled  (Fig.  8)",  is  one  of  the  oldest 
in  cultivation  in  European  countries. 
The  flowers  usually  appear  with  the 
leaves,  or  before  they  unfold,  and  are 
large  and  of  a  pale  rose  color.  The 
tree  is  rather  tender  for  latitudes  north 
of  Philadelphia,  but  succeeds  south- 
ward, and  westward  to  the  Pacific, 
if  late  frosts  do  not  come  to  destroy 
the  flowers  or  embryo  nuts. 

Large  Fruited  Almond,  A.  c. 
macrocarpa. — This  is  an  old  French 
variety,  and  perhaps  most  widely 
known  as  the  Sultana,  although  the 
latter  name  is  often  applied  in  market  to  almost  every 
variety  of  sweet  almond.  The  leaves  of  the  genuine 
variety  are  much  broader  than  those  of  the  preceding 
groups,  and  are  smooth  and  deep  green.  Flowers  very 
large  and  showy,  of  a  pale  rose  color,  and  always  appear 
in  spring  before  the  leaves,  and  for  this  reason  it  has  long 
been  cultivated  in  England  as  an  ornamental  tree.  Fruit 
large,  depressed  or  flattened  at  the  base,  but  pointed  at 
the  top.  Shell  rather  hard  and  firm,  and  will  withstand 
rough  handling  and  transportation  long  distances.  Ker- 
nel very  sweet  and  tender,  hence  highly  prized  every- 
where. There  are  several  sub-varieties ;  one,  known  as 
the  Pistache  almond,  is  highly  esteemed  for  the  table, 
on  account  of  its  delicate  flavor,  although  it  is  very  small 
and  not  popular  for  commercial  purposes. 

The  Peach  Almond,  A.  c.  persicoides. — This  is 
another  old  variety,  described  by  Du  Hamel  about  the 
middle  of  the  last  century,  under  the  name  of  Amandier- 


38  THE   XUT   CCLTURIST. 

Pecher,  or  peach-leaved  almond.  Leaves  similar  to  those 
of  the  common  peach.  Fruit  ovate,  obtuse ;  husk 
slightly  succulent ;  shell  of  a  yellowish  color,  and  the 
kernel  sweet-flavored  and  excellent.  Du  Hamel  says 
the  fruit  varies  widely,  even  upon  the  same  tree  or 
branch,  some  having  a  dry,  thin  husk,  while  on  others 
it  is  soft  and  fleshy,  somewhat  like  that  of  the  peach. 
As  the  almond  and  peach  are  of  the  same  species,  it 
would  not  be  at  all  strange  if  au  occasional  variety  raised 
from  the  seed  of  either  class  should  diverge  towards,  or 
even  pass  completely  over  to  a  closely  allied  group. 

From  the  varieties  found  in  the  forementioned 
groups  we  must  seek  to  find,  or  produce  therefrom,  those 
which  will  succeed  in  this  country  wherever  it  may  be 
thought  desirable  to  attempt  the  cultivation  of  this  nut. 
So  far  as  my  knowledge  extends,  no  attempts  have,  as 
yet,  been  made  to  produce  distinct  American  varieties  in 
the  Eastern  States,  as  with  its  near  relative,  the  peach, 
but  all  the  almonds  thus  far  cultivated  here  are  of  well- 
known  foreign  varieties.  Perhaps  the  demand  for 
almond  trees  has  not  been  sufficient  heretofore  to  en- 
courage very  extended  experiments  in  this  direction,  but 
I  cannot  believe  that  our  people  will  continue  for  an- 
other century  to  import  millions  of  pounds  annually  of 
almonds  if  it  is  possible  to  raise  them  in  this  country. 
That  it  is  possible  on  the  Pacific  coast  has  already  been 
fully  demonstrated,  but  we  want  to  see  the  field  greatly 
enlarged,  and  give  the  people  of  the  Eastern  States  a 
share  in  what  is  evidently  soon  to  become  a  large  and 
profitable  industry. 

Ornamental  Varieties  of  the  Almond. — These 
are  only  referred  to  because  some  of  the  many  in  culti- 
vation belong  to  the  groups  producing  the  most  valuable 
nuts,  but  the  greater  part  of  the  purely  ornamental  vari- 
eties are  worthless  for  other  purposes.  Amygdalus  coch- 
inchinensis  grows  to  quite  a  large  tree  in  its  native  coun- 


THE    ALMOND.  39 

try,  or  thirty  to  forty  feet  high ;  flowers  small,  white, 
produced  in  long  racemes;  tender.  A.  orientalis,  a 
small  shrub,  with  grayish  or  hoary  leaves,  and  small 
rose-colored  flowers ;  sometimes  cultivated  under  the 
name  of  argentea,  or  Silvery  almond.  A.  incana  (hoary) 
is  another  dwarf  species,  from  the  Caucasus,  with  solitary 
red  flowers.  A.  nana  and  A.  pumila  are  oriental  spe- 
cies of  very  dwarf  shrubs,  with  either  red  or  white  flow- 
ers. The  double-flowering  varieties  of  these  have  long 
been  inhabitants  of  our  gardens. 

Properties  and  Uses. — For  domestic  purposes 
the  almond  is  highly  esteemed  wherever  it  is  known, 
and  is  employed  in  hundreds  of  different  ways  in  the 
preparation  of  appetizing  dishes  and  dainties  for  the 
table.  In  countries  where  this  nut  is  in  cultivation,  it 
is  brought  to  the  table  in  the  half-opened  green  husk, 
for  at  this  time  the  kernels  are  just  passing  from  the 
milky  stage,  and  are  considered  more  readily  digested 
than  later,  or  when  fully  ripe.  But  it  is  only  when  they 
are  fully  mature  that  they  are  gathered  for  market,  and 
after  thorough  drying  they  are  placed  in  strong  sacks 
and  distributed  among  dealers  in  all  parts  of  the  world. 
But  only  certain  varieties  are  exported  in  this  condition, 
and  principally  those  with  very  thin  shells,  because 
these  are  most  in  demand,  for  the  table  and  dessert, 
where  the  almond  is  not  a  home  product.  Other  sweet 
varieties,  whether  with  very  hard  or  very  tender  shells, 
are  cracked  and  only  the  kernels  exported.  The  im- 
portation of  shelled  almonds  into  this  country  is  some- 
what in  excess  of  the  unshelled,  and  as  they  are  of. 
greater  value  per  pound,  the  duty  levied  is  proportionally 
higher.  There  is  also  a  great  saving  to  the  importer 
and  consumer, — not  only  in  freight,  but  the  extraction  of 
the  kernels  is  done  in  countries  where  labor  is  abundant 
and  cheap.  Whether  the  almond  shells  are  used  for 
any  purpose  in  European  countries,  or  are  considered  as 


40  THE   .NUT   CULTL'KIST. 

wholly  a  waste  product,  I  have  been  unable  to  learn,  but 
it  is  asserted,  and  by  men  whose  wrord  is  worthy  of 
credence,  that  almond  shells  ground  into  a  fine  golden 
colored  flour,  is  much  used  in  this  country  for  adulter- 
ating red  pepper,  cinnamon  and  other  spices. 

Almonds  are  not  only  used  extensively  at  all  times 
and  seasons,  by  persons  of  all  ages  and  sexes,  at  table 
and  elsewhere,  but  they  are  employed  largely  in  the 
making  of  fancy  confectionery  with  sugar,  or  in  the  form 
of  salted  almonds,  the  kernels  having  been  first  thor- 
oughly steamed  or  scalded,  to  remove  the  skin,  and  then 
rolled  or  dusted  with  fine  salt.  Prepared  in  this  way 
they  are  usually  considered  more  readily  digestible  and 
healthful  than  in  their  natural  state. 

Sweet  almonds  are  also  valued  in  the  form  of  emul- 
sions, as  a  medicine  in  pulmonary  disorders,  and  the  oil 
of  almonds  is  a  common  standard  article  in  the  stock  of 
druggists  everywhere,  as  it  enters  into  the  composition 
of  cosmetics,  syrups,  pastes  and  powders  of  various 
kinds. 

The  kernels  of  the  wild  bitter  almond  contain  a 
poisonous  principle  known  as  hydrocyanic  or  Prussic 
acid,  which  does  not  exist  in  the  sweet  varieties,  although 
found  in  their  leaves  and  the  bark  of  their  twigs.  But 
as  bitter  almonds  are  not  palatable,  there  is  little  danger 
of  anyone  being  poisoned  from  eating  them,  should 
these  nuts  ever  be  cultivated  here  for  any  special  pur- 
pose, as  in  other  countries. 

Insects  and  Diseases. — Whenever  the  almond 
tree  becomes  common  here  in  orchards  it  will  doubtless 
suffer  from  the  attacks  of  the  same  kinds  of  natural  en- 
emies as  affect  the  peach.  One  of  the  most  widely  dis- 
tributed of  these  pests  is  the  common  peach-tree  borer. 
The  parents  of  these  borers  are  small,  slender-bodied, 
bluish,  transparent-winged  moths,  the  male  somewhat 
smaller  than  the  female.  These  moths  usually  appear 


THE   ALMOND.  41 

in  this  latitude  during  the  month  of  June,  and  the 
female  deposits  her  eggs  on  the  stems  of  the  trees  near 
the  surface  of  the  ground,  or  a  little  below  it  if  she  can 
find  a  convenient  opening  to  suit  her  purpose.  The 
eggs  deposited  soon  hatch,  and  the  young  larvae  bore 
through  the  tender  bark  at  this  point,  and  when  fairly 
under  it,  branch  off,  cutting  galleries  through  the  soft 
alburnum  underneath.  When  a  number  of  these  borers 
are  at  work  on  the  same  tree  they  sometimes  girdle  and 
kill  it  the  first  season,  especially  if  it  is  young  or  a  small 
specimen.  But  if  the  tree  is  not  killed  outright  it  will 
show,  by  the  check  to  its  growth,  that  borers  are  at 
work.  The  borers  continue  feeding  throughout  the 
remainder  of  the  season,  and  up  to  the  time  freezing 
weather  sets  in  for  the  winter,  and  if  not  full  grown  at 
this  time  they  will  finish  their  growth  early  in  spring, 
then  crawl  to  near  the  outside,  or  just  under  the  old 
bark,  and  there  spin  a  thin  cocoon,  in  which  they  are 
transformed  to  the  pupal  stage,  remaining  in  this  form 
for  a  few  weeks,  then  issuing  in  the  winged  or  moth 
stage. 

In  the  line  of  preventives  and  remedies  there  is 
nothing  better  than  clean  cultivation  about  the  trees, 
and  annual  examination  of  each  tree  early  in  summer 
and  the  crushing  of  every  borer  found.  The  next  best 
thing,  in  the  way  of  a  preventive,  is  to  wrap  the  stems 
from  a  little  below  the  surface  of  the  ground  to  a  foot  or 
more  above  it  with  heavy  paper,  cloth,  or  bark  of  some 
kind,  to  keep  the  moth  from  laying  her  eggs  on  the  bark 
of  the  tree.  I  have  used  common  tar  paper  for  this 
purpose,  not  only  because  it  is  very  cheap  and  does  not 
decay  when  exposed  to  the  weather,  but  the  exhalation 
or  odor  of  tar  seems  to  be  offensive  to  the  moths.  In 
the  use  of  this  material  I  have  never  found  that  it  was 
in  the  least  injurious  to  the  bark  underneath.  Painting 
the  stems  with  soap,  cement,  clay,  or  even  common 


42  THE   KUT   CULTUKIST. 

mineral  paints,  will  answer  very  well  if  a  little  care  is 
given  to  keeping  down  the  number  of  insects  by  remov- 
ing the  larger  part  of  the  borers  with  knife  or  gouge. 

In  recent  years  a  pest  known  as  the  "shot-hole 
borer"  (Scolytus  rugulosus)  has  appeared  in  many  and 
widely  separated  localities,  in  both  the  Eastern  and 
"Western  States,  attacking  the  almond,  peach  and  plum 
tree.  It  is  supposed  to  have  been  introduced  from 
Europe  with  imported  nursery  stock,  and  thence  rapidly 
distributed,  by  similar  means,  through  the  country.  In 
its  perfect  stages  it  is  a  minute  brown  beetle,  about  one- 
twelfth  of  an  inch  long  and  one-thirtieth  of  an  inch  in 
diameter.  This  pest  appears  about  midsummer,  boring 
numerous  minute  holes  through  the  bark  and  into  the 
sapwood  underneath,  and  in  this  the  female  deposits 
her  eggs,  and  from  these  are  hatched  the  little  grubs 
found  later  feeding  on  the  soft  inner  bark  and  alburnous 
matter  beneath  it.  From  every  hole  made  in  the  bark 
a  small  globule  of  gum  will  soon  appear,  drying  upon 
the  surface — thence  onward  until  autumn — and  glisten- 
ing in  the  sun,  an  immutable  sign  of  the  presence  of  a 
minute  but  destructive  enemy. 

When  the  beetles  and  their  eggs  are  once  in  posses- 
sion there  is  no  practical  way  known  of  removing  them, 
and  the  best  thing  to  be  done  is  to  cut  down  and  burn 
every  infested  tree,  and  just  as  soon  as  it  is  known  to  be 
in  this  condition.  There  are  also  several  indigenous 
species  of  bark  beetles,  which  will  very  likely  attack 
almond  trees  as  soon  as  they  are  as  abundant  as  peach 
trees,  but  all  may  be  destroyed  with  the  same,  or  very 
similar  weapons  and  materials. 

What  are  called  preventives  consist  mainly  of  sub- 
stances to  be  applied  to  the  stems  in  a  semi-liquid  form, 
and  of  such  a  nature  as  to  be  offensive  to  the  beetles 
because  of  their  odor,  taste,  or  because  so  hard  that  the 
insects  cannot  cut  through  them  with  their  mandibles. 


THE    ALMOND.  43 

Common  lime  whitewash,  soft  soap,  whale-oil  soap,  or  a 
thin  mineral  paint  made  of  pure  linseed  oil,  will  answer 
very  well  for  this  purpose  if  applied  often  enough  to 
keep  the  bark  constantly  coated. 

Of  the  fungous  diseases  affecting  the  almond  in  this 
country,  very  little  is  as  yet  known,  although  we  may 
safely  include  under  this  head  all  those  that  have  been 
inimical  to  the  peach,  for  the  transition  from  this  tree 
to  the  almond  would  only  be  a  natural  sequence.  The 
peach-leaf  curl  (Taplirina  deformans)  would  not  be  far 
from  home  on  the  almond  leaf,  neither  could  we  expect 
that  almond  orchards  would  be  wholly  exempt  from 
that  mysteriously  distributed  and  uncontrollable  disease 
known  as  " peach  yellows." 

In  California  an  almond-leaf  blight  has  already  ap- 
peared and  seriously  affected  the  trees  in  some  of  the 
orchards.  It  is  caused  by  a  fungus  known  as  Cercospora 
circumscissa  Sacc.  This  fungus  attacks  the  leaves  and 
young  twigs,  causing  the  former  to  fall  off  early  in  the 
season,  thereby  checking  the  growth  of  the  tree  and  pre- 
venting the  maturing  of  the  fruit.  It  is  thought  that 
remedies  may  be  applied  to  check  this  disease,  and  there 
will  probably  be  some  form  of  copper  solution  employed 
for  destroying  it,  as  with  various  species  of  fungi  on  other 
kinds  of  fruit  trees. 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE   BEECHKUT. 

Fagus,  Linn.  The  Beech.  The  Latin  name  of  the 
genus  (Fagus)  supposed  to  be  an  equivalent  of  the  Greek 
phegos,  an  oak,  or  it  may  be  derived  from  phago,  to  eat ; 
the  nuts  of  this  tree  having  been  used  as  food  by  man 
in  all  ages  and  countries  where  it  is  a  native.  The 
modern  English  name,  beech,  was  probably  derived 
frgm  the  Anglo-Saxon  bece  or  boc;  in  Dutch  it  is  beuk ; 
French,  hetre ;  Icelandic,  beyk  ;  Danish,  log ;  Swedish, 
bole;  German,  buche  or  buoche;  Kussian,  bulc;  Italian, 
faggio;  Armenian,  fao;  and  in  Welsh  ffawydd. 

The  beech  belongs  to  the  order  Cupuliferce,  or  oak 
family.  The  genus  contains  about  fifteen  species  of 
handsome  deciduous  and  evergreen  trees,  or  shrubs,  very 
widely  distributed  throughout  the  temperate  and  colder 
regions  of  both  the  northern  and  southern  hemispheres. 
Male  flowers  are  bell-shaped,  in  long-stalked  drooping 
heads;  calyx  five  to  seven  cleft,  containing  numerous 
stamens.  Female  flowers  two  to  four  in  a  cluster  on  the 
summit  of  the  scaly-bracted  peduncle  ;  the  inside  scales 
uniting,  forming  a  four-lobed  involucre  of  imbricated 
bracts,  the  whole  becoming  at  maturity  a  somewhat 
prickly,  scaly  bur,  within  which  are  found  a  pair  of 
sharp-edged  triangular  nuts,  containing  a  tender  and 
sweet-flavored  kernel. 

History  of  the  Beech. — The  common  beeches  of 
both  Europe  and  North  America  are  so  closely  related 
that  the  two  species  may  be  considered  as  one  for  all 
practical  purposes,  such  as  propagation,  cultivation,  and 

44 


THE    BEECHNUT.  45 

value  of  the  wood  and  nuts.  It  is  true,  however,  that 
our  native  beech  is  not  environed  with  ancient  myths 
and  stories  of  love  and  war,  neither  is  it  celebrated  in 
poetry  and  song,  yet  it  has,  doubtless,  played  just  as 
noble  a  part  in  human  affairs  a"mong  the  pre-historic 
races  of  America  as  those  recorded  of  its  European  con- 
temporary. As  the  beech  in  Europe  is  found  in  the 
forests  of  Great  Britain,  Norway,  Sweden,  France,  Ger- 
many, and  southward  to  Constantinople,  Palestine,  Asia 
Minor  and  Armenia,  it  was  well  known  and  highly  ap- 
preciated by  all  the  early  inhabitants  of  these  countries, 
and  is  frequently  referred  to  by  the  earlier  writers  of 
Greece  and  Rome  who  touch  upon  the  rural  affairs  of 
their  times.  It  is  supposed  that  Theophrastus  refers  to 
the  beech  under  the  name  of  Oxua,  and  Dioscorides 
as  Phegos,  and  the  latter  author  places  it  among  the 
oaks,  in  which  he  was  not  far  out  of  the  way,  because 
the  beech  is  a  member  of  the  oak  family  in  our  modern 
classification.  Virgil  and  Pliny  speak  highly  of  the 
little  triangular  nuts,  and  the  people  of  their  times  set 
considerable  value  upon  beechnuts  as  an  article  of  food. 
Pliny  also  assures  us  that  at  the  siege  of  Chios,  the  be- 
sieged inhabitants  lived  for  some  time  entirely  on  these 
nuts.  We  are  inclined  to  think,  however,  that  both 
Virgil  and  .Pliny  are  in  error  when  they  tell  us  that 
the  beech  was  propagated  by  being  grafted  on  the 
chestnut.  They  were  probably  led  astray  in  this  by 
some  romancing  gardener  of  their  time,  for  we  even 
have*  some  of  the  same  ilk  with  us  at  this  day.  Pliny 
refers  to  the  beech  several  times  in  his  writings,  and 
places  a  much  higher  value  upon  this  nut  than  he  does 
upon  the  chestnut ;  in  fact,  speaks  rather  contemptu- 
ously of  the  latter,  and  seems  to  be  surprised  that  nature 
should  have  taken  such  care  of  the  nuts,  which  he  calls 
"vilissima,"  as  to  enclose  them  with  a  prickly  involucre 
or  bur. 


46  THE   XUT   CULTUKLST. 

But  my  limited  space  will  not  allow  of  tracing  the 
history  of  the  beech  from  ancient  to  modern  times, 
although  it  has  always  been  esteemed  as  food  for  man, 
as  well  as  for  wild  and  domesticated  animals.  Swine  fat- 
tened on  beech  and  oak  mast  have  for  ages  been  noted 
for  their  excellent  flesh,  and  the  value  of  many  an  old 
estate  in  Great  Britain  was  determined  more  upon  the 
mast  the  forest  produced,  than  the  area  or  number  of 
square  miles  they  contained. 

As  a  monumental  tree  the  beech  has  no  rival,  for 
its  smooth  gray  bark,  perennial  and  almost  unchange- 
able, has  ever  been  a  convenient  place  to  register  chal- 
lenges to  enemies,  epitaphs,  epithets,  and  probably  more 
frequently  than  all,  the  initials  of  the  name  of  some 
loved  one,  who  might  possibly  pass  that  way  and  find 
her  name  engraved  on  the  beechen  tree.  I  doubt  much 
if  there  is  a  beech  grove  in  all  Europe  or  in  America, 
within  a  convenient  distance  of  a  city,  country  village  or 
schoolhouse,  on  which  the  bark  of  the  trees  is  not  scar- 
ified by  the  knives  of  boys  in  recording  the  initials  of 
their  own  names,  and  those  of  their  favorites  of  the  op- 
posite sex.  These  living  registers  were  long  ago  recog- 
nized by  the  poets,  and  more  than  eighteen  centuries 
ago  Virgil  admits  it  in  these  lines  : 

"  Or  shall  I  rather  the  sad  verse  repeat, 
Which  on  the  beech's  bark  I  lately  writ." 

In  more  modern  timjs  Tasso  hints  of  the  same  habit, 
in  Jerusalem  Delivered,  to  wit : 

"  On  the  smooth  beechen  rind,  the  pensive  dame 
Carves  in  a  thousand  forms  her  Tancred's  name." 

That  the  Spanish  youths  were  not  oblivious  to  their 
opportunities  for  recording  the  names  of  their  favorites 
we  must  assume  to  be  true,  from  the  lines  of  Don  Luis 
de  Gongora,  who  tells  us  that : 

"  Not  a  beech  but  bears  some  cipher, 

Tender  word,  or  amorous  text. 
If  one  vale  sounds  Angelina, 
Angelina  sounds  the  next." 


THE   BEECHNUT.  47 

Propagation  of  the  Beech. — The  beech,  in  all 
its  species  and  varieties,  may  be  propagated  by  the  usual 
modes,  viz.  :  By  seed,  layers,  budding  and  grafting. 
The  seeds,  when  gathered,  should  be  mixed  with  clean, 
sharp,  moist  sand,  placed  in  boxes,  and  then  stored  in  a 
cool  or  cold  place  and  carefully  protected  from  mice, 
until  the  time  arrives  for  sowing  in  spring.  They  may 
also  be  sown  in  the  fall  and  lightly  covered  with  leaf 
mold  or  other  light  soil,  but  unless  coated  with  tar  or 
some  offensive  poisonous  substance,  vermin  of  some 
form  will  be  very  likely  to  find  them  and  leave  few 
to  grow.  Seedlings  are  used  for  stocks  upon  which 
to  work  the  many  varieties  in  cultivation ;  but  as  I 
am  not  writing  this  for  the  encouragement  of  propaga- 
tors of  purely  ornamental  trees,  I  will  omit  giving 
any  very  extended  description  of  the  different  modes 
of  propagating  the  beech,  further  than  to  say  that 
should  remarkably  fine  varieties  with  extra-sized  nuts  be 
discovered  or  produced,  they  can  be  perpetuated  and 
multiplied  by  the  same  processes  adopted  for  other  kinds 
of  nut  trees. 

Soil  and  Location. — The  beeches  of  Northern 
countries,  in  their  many  varieties,  thrive  best  in  a  cool, 
moist  soil,  for  their  roots  rarely  penetrate  very  deeply,  but 
spread  out  widely  and  near  the  surface,  forming  an  intri- 
cate network,  which  will  try  the  patience  of  the  wood- 
man who  attempts  to  clear  away  a  forest  of  beech  and 
break  up  the  ground.  In  this  country,  as  well  as  in 
Europe,  the  beech  thrives  in  calcareous  soils,  or  what  is 
usually  termed  limestone  regions ;  consequently,  when 
transplanted  or  raised  in  sandy  soils,  or  on  the  red  sand- 
store  formation,  light  applications  of  lime  are  usually 
found  very  beneficial ;  but  more  than  all,  the  beech  re- 
quires moisture,  and  if  not  planted  in  a  moist  soil  the 
surface  over  the  roots  should  be  kept  constantly  covered 
with  some  kind  of  mulch. 


48  THE   NUT   CULTURIST. 

Species  and  Varieties  of  the  Beech. — In  the 
Dictionary  of  Gardening,  edited  by  George  Nicholson, 
of  the  Koyal  Botanic  Gardens,  Kew,  England,  the  fol- 
lowing species  of  Fagns  are  briefly  described,  viz  : 

F.  antarctica. — Leaves  ovate,  blunt,  glabrous,  atten- 
uated at  the  base,  doubly  dentate,  alternate,  petiolate, 
one  and  a  half  inches  long.  A  small  deciduous  tree  or 
shrub,  with  rugged,  tortuous  branches.  Native  of  Tierra 
del  Fuego,  S.  A. 

F.  betuloides  (birch-like).  Evergreen  beech.— 
Leaves  ovate,  elliptic,  obtuse  crenulate,  leathery,  shining 
glabrous,  round  at  the  base  or  short  footstalks.  An 
evergreen  tree,  native  of  Tierra  del  Fuego,  S.  A. 

F.  ferruginea  (rusty).  American  beech. — Leaves 
ovate,  acuminate,  thickly  toothed,  downy  beneath,  cili- 
ate  on  the  margin.  A  large  deciduous  tree,  very  closely 
resembling  the  common  European  species,  from  which 
it  is  distinguished  by  its  longer,  thinner  and  less  shin- 
ing leaves. 

F.  obliqua  (oblique).  Chile  beech. — Leaves  ovate, 
oblong,  oblique,  somewhat  rhomboid,  blunt,  doubly  ser- 
rated, entire  at  the  base,  attenuated  into  the  petiole,  and 
somewhat  downy.  A  hardy  deciduous  tree,  native  of 
the  cooler  elevated  regions  of  Chile,  S.  A. 

F.  sylvatica  (sylvan).  European  beech. — Leaves  ob- 
long, ovate,  obscurely  toothed ;  margin  ciliate.  A  well- 
known  large  deciduous  tree,  widely  distributed  in  Europe 
from  Norway  southward  to  Asia  Minor.  From  this  spe- 
cies a  large  number  of  ornamental  varieties  have  been 
produced,  many  of  them  merely  accidental  variations  of 
the  wild  forms  of  the  forests,  while  others  have  origi- 
nated in  the  seedbeds  of  nurserymen.  But  so  far  as  I  am 
aware,  no  variety  has  ever  been  introduced  bearing 
superior  or  improved  forms  of  nuts. 

Our  American  beech  (F.  ferruginea)  is  a  widely 
distributed  tree,  extending  from  Nova  Scotia  in  the 


THE    BEECHXUT.  49 

north,  south  to  Florida,  and  westward  to  Wisconsin  and 
Missouri.  Formerly  it  was  exceedingly  abundant,  but 
like  many  other  of  our  most  valuable  forest  trees,  it  is 
disappearing  before  the  axe  of  the  woodman,  who  has 
always  found  a  ready  sale  for  beech  timber.  It  is  used  in 
the  manufacture  of  plane  stocks,  shoe  lasts,  handles  for 
paring  chisels,  and  hundreds  of  similar  articles.  Beech 
wood  is  hard,  firm,  and  takes  a  good  polish,  but  is  not 
very  flexible.  It  makes  excellent  fuel,  and  ranks  next 
in  value  to  hard  maple  and  hickory  for  this  purpose. 
In  the  more  northern  States  and  where  the  beech  grows 
to  its  largest  size,  the  heartwood  is  usually  of  a  reddish 
color;  but  here  in  New  Jersey  and  farther  south,  the 
wood  is  usually  white  almost  to  the  center  of  the  tree, 
no  matter  how  large  it  may  be.  The  color  of  the  wood, 
however,  does  not  in  any  way  detract  from  its  value,  for 
fuel  and  many  other  purposes,  although  some  European 
dendrologists  have  been  deceived  into  supposing  that  the 
white  beech  was  almost  or  quite  worthless.  Loudon,  in 
Arboretum  et  Fruticetum  Britannicum,  Vol.  Ill,  in  re- 
ferring to  our  beech,  says:  "The  wood  of  the  white 
beech  is  little  valued  in  America,  even  for  fuel ;  and 
the  bark  is  used  for  tanning,  but  is  little  esteemed,"  etc. 
But  if  any  one,  in  these  later  years,  has  had  occasion  to 
purchase  beech  timber  for  any  purpose,  he  has  probably 
learned,  from  the  price  charged,  that  it  is  esteemed, 
even  for  such  base  purposes  as  firewood. 

I  am  not,  however,  attempting  to  extol  the  Ameri- 
can beech  as  a  timber  tree,  but  ask  that  it  be  given  a 
place  among  the  select  ornamental  nut-bearing  kinds. 
And  I  think  every  farmer  who  has  a  pasture  lot  could 
afford  a  place  for  at  least  one  beech  tree,  and  if  there  is 
a  low,  moist  spot  in  the  field,  or  a  stony  corner,  this 
will  be  a  suitable  place  for  such  a  tree  ;  and  the  horses, 
cattle  or  sheep  out  in  pasture  during  hot  days  in  sum- 
mer will  be  very  grateful  for  the  shade  which  a  wide- 
4 


50  THE   NUT   CULTUEIST. 

spreading  specimen  will  give  them.  It  may  be  that 
the  owner  of  said  pasture  may  recall  the  lines  of 
Garcilaso : 

"  But  in  calm  idlesse  laid, 

Supine  in  the  cool  shade 
Of  oak  or  ilex,  beech  or  pendant  pine, 

Sees  his  flocks  feeding  stray, 

Whitening  a  length  of  way, 
Or  numbers  up  his  homeward-tending  kine." 

He  may  be  sure  of  one  thing,  and  that  is,  the  beech- 
nuts produced  by  one  or  many  trees  will  always  be  ac- 
ceptable to  the  children,  and  of  these  hungry  mortals 
there  is  likely  to  be  a  few,  at  least,  roaming  about  ill 
ages  to  come,  as  in  times  past. 

The  beech  is  not  really  a  desirable  tree  to  plant  on 
a  lawn  or  near  one's  dwelling,  because  of  its  persistent 
foliage,  which  clings  to  the  twigs  yery  late  in  winter, 
and  the  rustling  of  the  wind  through  the  dry  leaves  is 
not  soothing  to  one's  nerves,  although  not  quite  as  dis- 
mal as  the  moaning  pines.  In  summer,  and  until  late 
in  autumn,  the  American  beech  is  a  noble  and  graceful 
tree, — and  if  I  may  be  allowed  the  expression,  one  of 
the  cleanest  of  trees ;  its  large,  thin,  bright-green  and 
glossy  leaves  retain  none  of  the  dust  and  cast-oif  mate- 
rial of  other  trees  which  may  be  floating  through  the 
air,  but  are  ever  bright  and  pure.  The  tree  has  natu- 
rally wide-spreading  and  somewhat  drooping  branches, 
and  should  be  given  plenty  of  room  for  development 
when  planted  for  the  nuts  or  as  an  ornamental  tree.  Its 
leaves  and  the  small  slender  branchlets  (Fig.  9)  are  eaten 
with  avidity  by  all  kinds  of  farm  animals  ;  consequently, 
protection  may  be  required  until  the  trees  have  reached 
a  hight  to  be  safe  from  such  depredators. 

Beech  seedlings  do  not  usually  come  into  bearing  in 
less  than  twenty  to  thirty  years,  but  as  no  one  in  this 
country  has  ever  attempted  to  cultivate  this  tree  for  its 


THE   BEECHNUT. 


51 


nuts,  or  search  our  forests  for  precocious  and  superior 
varieties,  we  have  to  admit  that  the  field  remains  unex- 
plored, and  as  barren  of  results  as  it  was  when  our  an- 
cestors first  discovered 
America.  Every  hunt- 
er, woodman,  farmer 
and  botanist  who  has 
roamed  through  for- 
ests where  the  beech 
trees  grow,  is  well 
aware  of  the  fact  that 
distinct  varieties  are 
not  at  all  rare,  some 
having  nuts  twice  the 
size  of  others  in  the 
same  woods  or  groves, 
and  it  is  possible  and 
probable  that  some 
nut  culturist  in  the 
near  future  will  find 
time  to  select  these 
choice  wild  varieties 
for  cultivation  and 
propagation.  It 
would  not,  in  my  opin- 
ion, be  beneath  the 
dignity  of  our  national 
department  of  agricul- 
ture, or  some  of  its 
numerous  costly  an- 
nexes, to  occasionally 
take  into  considera- 
tion the  natural  prod- 
ucts of  this  great  FIG-  9'  BEECHNUT  LEAF,  BUB  AND  NUT. 
country,  and  determine,  by  a  series  of  experiments, 
whether  or  no  they  were  not  worthy  of  attention. 


52  THE   KUT   CULTURIST. 

Insects  Injurious  to  the  Beech. — Xo  disease 
has,  as  yet,  been  known  to  seriously  affect  the  beech, 
and  as  for  insect  enemies,  it  probably  has  a  less  number 
than  any  other  denizen  of  our  forests.  It  is  true  that 
transplanted  trees,  and  those  left  exposed  by  cutting 
away  protecting  neighbors,  are  sometimes  attacked  by 
borers  in  the  stem,  branches  and  twigs,  but  these  ene- 
mies naturally  follow  in  the  train  of  debility,  it  being 
one  of  the  immutable  economic  laws  of  nature  to  hasten 
the  demise  and  decomposition  of  the  half -starved  or 
otherwise  enfeebled  members  of  both  the  animal  and 
vegetable  kingdom. 

Isolated  beech  trees  growing  by  the  roadsides  in 
parks  and  fields  are  occasionally  attacked  by  a  large 
grayish,  long-horn  beetle,  the  Goes  pulverulenta.  It  is 
about  one  inch  long,  and  a  rather  sturdy  beetle  of  a 
light  grayish  color,  and  usually  infests  the  branches, 
but  may  occasionally  attack  the  main  stem.  It  is  not 
abundant,  and  has  seldom  been  found  infesting  the 
beech.  There  are  also  two  or  three  borers  of  the  Bu- 
prestis  family  of  beetles  which  occasionally  attack  beech 
trees.  They  are  distinguished  by  the  broad  heads  and 
flattened  bodies  of  the  grubs,  and  they  work  just  beneath 
the  bark  in  the  sapwood,  causing  dead  patches,  mainly 
on  the  south  side  of  the  stem  and  larger  branches.  If 
the  dead  bark  is  removed  and  the  wounds  painted  they 
will  soon  heal  over,  unless  the  tree  is  suffering  for  mois- 
ture and  nutrients  at  the  roots.  A  few  twig  borers,  with 
an  occasional  colony  of  caterpillars  on  the  leaves,  embody 
about  all  the  insect  enemies  of  the  beech  calling  for  any 
special  attention,  but  there  are  a  host  of  different  species 
and  kinds  ever  ready  to  pounce  upon  a  sickly  or  dead 
tree,  whether  found  in  the  field  or  forest. 

Properties  and  Uses. — The  beechnut  has  been  so 
long  and  favorably  known  that  very  little  need  be  said 
here  in  regard  to  its  properties  and  uses.  In  the  forests 


THE   BEECHNUTo  53. 

it  affords  food  for  many  kinds  of  birds,  such  as  the  wild 
turkey,  partridge  or  grouse,  and  especially  the  pigeon, 
and  immense  flocks  of  these  collect  in  the  beech  forests 
in  autumn  to  feed  upon  the  nuts.  Deer  are  yery  fond 
of  these  nuts,  and  so  are  all  of  the  squirrel  family,  and 
the  little  ground  squirrel  or  chipmunk,  Tamias  striatus, 
of  our  Northern  States,  gives  us  a  good  practical  lesson 
in  the  way  of  preserving  the  nuts  over  winter.  These 
little  rodents  pack  away  the  nuts  in  small  pockets  in 
their  burrows  and  from  two  to  three  feet  below  the  sur- 
face, where  they  are  protected  from  excessive  moisture 
and  any  considerable  change  of  temperature.  The  chip- 
munk always  stores  the  nuts  in  the  ground,  and  not  in 
hollow  logs,  as  is  sometimes  asserted.  The  deer-mouse 
(Hesperomys  leucopus),  however,  does  select  such  places 
for  putting  away  his  winter's  supply,  but  more  fre- 
quently he  chooses  a  hollow  in  the  stem  of  some  old  tree, 
and  several  feet  from  the  ground.  Unlike  the  chip- 
munk, this  mouse  cleans  the  shells  from  the  kernels, 
storing  only  the  latter,  and  I  have  often  found  a  quart 
or  more  when  cutting  down  trees  in  winter.  These  ker- 
nels are  usually  so  clean,  bright,  and  free  from  odor, 
that  it  is  to  be  feared  the  finder  always  confiscates  them 
for  his  own  use. 

As  the  beechnut  contains  considerable  oil,  many 
schemed  have  been  set  on  foot,  in  European  countries, 
for  its  extraction  and  use  as  a  salad  oil.  Early  in  the 
last  century  (1721)  Aaron  Hill,  an  English  poet,  pro- 
posed to  pay  off  the  national  debt  from  the  profits  to  be 
derived  from  the  manufacture  of  beechnut  oil ;  but  his 
scheme  fell  through,  like  many  others  of  its  kind.  It  is 
also  stated  that  Henry  Fielding,  so  well  known  by  his 
delightful  stories  of  English  society,  once  speculated 
rather  largely  on  the  manufacture  of  beechnut  oil.  In 
France,  however,  beechnut  oil  was  formerly  made  in 
considerable  quantities,  and  used  in  cooking  fish  and  as 


54  THE   NUT   CULTUR1ST. 

a  salad  oil.  In  Silesia  it  is  used  by  the  country  people 
instead  of  butter,  and  the  cakes  which  remain  from  the 
pressure  are  given  to  fatten  swine,  oxen  and  poultry. 
The  forests  of  Eu  and  of  Crecy,  in  the  department  of 
the  Oise,  it  is  stated  by  Duhamel  du  Monceau,  have 
yielded,  in  a  single  season,  more  than  2,000,000  bushels 
of  mast,  but  probably  this  referred  to  all  kinds  of  nuts, 
and  not  beechnuts  alone.  Years  later,  or  in  1779, 
Michaux  states  that  the  forests  of  Compiegne,  near  the 
Verberie  department  of  the  Somme,  afforded  oil  enough 
to  supply  the  wants  of  the  district  for  more  than  half  a 
century.  In  some  parts  of  France  beechnuts  are  roasted 
and  served  as  a  substitute  for  coffee.  Many  of  these  old 
forests  have  disappeared,  but  other  kinds  of  nut  trees 
are  still  being  planted  in  France,  and  the  product  is 
simply  enormous,  and  a  source  of  wealth  to  the  peasant, 
as  well  as  the  owners  of  extensive  forests  and  orchards. 
The  beechnut  has  never  been  an  article  of  commerce 
in  this  country,  and  it  is  rarely  seen  on  sale  in  either 
country  villages  or  our  larger  cities,  not  because  of  its 
scarcity  or  want  of  demand,  but  all  that  the  country 
boys  and  girls  find  time  to  gather  are  wanted  for  their 
own  pleasure  and  use.  Picking  up  beechnuts  among 
the  leaves  in  a  forest,  or  even  after  raking  off  the  leaves 
and  then  whipping  the  trees,  is,  at  best,  slow  and  rather 
tedious  work,  as  I  know  full  well  from  experience,  and 
only  once  do  I  remember  of  having  secured  a  rounded 
half  bushel  as  the  sum  total  of  many  raids  on  the  beech 
trees  in  the  neighborhood.  But  as  the  beechnut  is  the 
diamond  among  the  larger  and  less  precious  gems  of  our 
forests,  we  should  set  a  higher  value  upon  it  because 
small  and  rather  difficult  to  obtain. 


CHAPTEK   IV. 

CASTANOPSIS. 
California  chestnut.    Western  chinquapin.    Evergreen  chestnut. 

Castanopsis,  Spach.  Name  derived  from  Castanea, 
the  chestnut.  Order,  Cupuliferce.  A  genus  of  ever- 
green shrubs  and  trees,  intermediate  between  the  oaks 
(Quercus)  and  the  chestnuts  (Castanea).  There  are 
about  a  dozen  species  indigenous  to  Eastern  Asia  and 
the  adjacent  islands.  Blume,  in  "Elora  Javae,"  Vol.  II, 
1828-36,  describes  three  species  under  Castanea,  which 
he  found  in  the  mountains  and  more  elevated  regions  of 
the  Javanese  islands.  Very  little,  however,  is  known  of 
these  oriental  evergreen  chestnuts  outside  of  the  herba- 
riums of  professional  botanists,  and  they  are  rarely  re- 
ferred to,  even  in  standard  botanical  dictionaries,  or 
dictionaries  of  gardening,  and  when  mentioned  they  are 
usually  placed  in  the  genus  Castanea.  Edouard  Spach, 
a  half-century  or  more  ago,  gave  a  synopsis  of  the  genus, 
for  whioh  he  proposed  the  name  of  Castanopsis,  and 
although  not  recognized  by  botanists  in  general  for  a 
number  of  years,  it  is  now  accepted  by  botanical  author- 
ities everywhere.  We  have  but  one  indigenous  species, 
and  this  on  the  Pacific  coast,  viz  : 

Castanopsis  chrysophylla,  A.  de  Candolle.  Casta- 
nea chrysophylla,  Douglas.  Castanea  semper  vir  ens, 
Kellogg. 

"Leaves  coriaceous,  evergreen,  lanceolate  or  oblong, 
one  to  four  inches  long,  acuminate  or  only  acutish  (Fig. 
10),  cuneate  at  base  and  shortly  petioled,  entire  green 
and  glabrous  above  or  somewhat  scurfy,  densely  scurfy 

55 


56  THE   XUT   CULTURIST. 

beneath,  with  none  or  few  yellow  scales ;  male  aments 
one  to  three  inches  long,  densely  pubescent ;  styles  three, 
stout,  glabrous,  divergent;  fruiting  involucre  with  stout 
divergent  spines  (Fig.  11)  one-half  to  one  inch  long, 


FIG.  10.     LEAVES  AND  NUT  OP  CASTANOPSI8  CHKYSOPHYLLA. 

subverticillately  many  branched ;  nut  usually  solitary, 
obversely  triangular,  six  lines  long." — "  Geological  Survey 
of  California,"  Botany,  Vol.  II,  p.  100. 

"This  handsome  broad-leaved  evergreen  tree  is  in- 
digenous to  the  elevated  regions,  from  Monterey,  Califor- 
nia, northward  to  the  Columbia  river  in  Oregon.  It  is 
also  common  in  the  Sierra  Nevadas  at  elevations  of  six 


CASTANOPSIS. 


thousand  feet,  but  in  its  southern  limits  rarely  below 
ten  thousand  feet  elevation." — 0.  S.  Sargent  ("  Woods  of 
the  United  States"). 

In  the  warmer  and  drier  regions  of  California  it  is 
a  mere  shrub  two  to  six  feet  high,  and  these  dwarf  forms 
have,  in  some  instances,  been  described  as  varieties. 
As,  for  instance,  Castanea  chrysophylla,  var.  minor, 
Bentham ;  C.  clirysophylla,  var.  minor,  A.  de  Candolle ; 
and  C.  chrysophylla,  var.  pumila,  Vasey.  But  north- 
ward, where  the  cli- 

'"It 


mate  is  more  moist,  it 
becomes  a  large  tree 
fifty  to  one  hundred 
and  twenty  feet  high, 
with  a  stem  two  to 
three  feet  in  diameter. 
In  its  wide  variation 
in  habit  of  growth,  -< 
this  western  chinqua- 
pin is  similar  to  our 
Eastern  dwarf  chest- 
nut, which  is  mainly 
a  low  shrub  in  the 
more  Southern  States, 
but  becomes  a  fair-sized  tree  in  the  Middle  States,  or 
near  its  northern  limits. 

I  have  introduced  the  Western  chinquapin  here 
among  the  nut-bearing  trees,  not  with  the  idea  that 
it  will  ever  be  extensively  cultivated  for  its  edible  nuts, 
but  because  it  is  a  beautiful  broad-leaved  evergreen  tree, 
and  of  which  we  have  far  too  few  kinds  in  cultivation  to 
give  warmth  and  a  cheerful  aspect  to  our  gardens  and 
pleasure  grounds  in  winter.  It  is  true  that,  so  far  as 
can  be  learned  at  this  time,  no  extended  experiments 
have  ever  been  made  to  introduce  or  cultivate  the  Casta- 
nopsis  in  the  Atlantic  States,  consequently  nothing  pos- 


FIG.  11.     CASTAKOPSIS  BUR. 


58  THE   NUT   CULTURIST. 

itive  is  known  as  to  whether  it  will  succeed  here  or  not. 
In  its  northernmost  range  it  thrives  in  forests  among 
many  kinds  of  trees  and  shrubs  that  are  already  common 
in  our  gardens,  and  this  leads  me  to  think  that  speci- 
mens or  seeds  of  this  tree  procured  from  the  mountains 
of  northern  Oregon  will  withstand  the  rigors  of  our 
climate. 

Mr.  S.  B.  Parsons  writes  me  that  he  first  saw  Cas- 
tanopsis  chrysophylla  in  Kew  Gardens  (Eng.)  thirty-five 
years  ago,  and  procured  specimens,  which  were  planted 
in  his  gardens  at  Flushing,  N.  Y.,  but  they  failed,  pre- 
sumably because  not  hardy.  It  may  be  that  his  speci- 
mens were  raised  from  nuts  procured  in  the  warmer  part 
of  California,  and,  as  with  many  other  Pacific  coast 
plants,  proved  to  be  tender,  while  later  introductions  of 
the  same  species  collected  in  colder  localities  have  proved 
hardy  here.  In  my  experience  I  have  found  a  great  dif- 
ference in  the  hardiness  of  trees  and  plants  obtained 
from  the  higher  and  lower  levels  of  the  mountains  from 
Colorado  westward  to  the  Coast  range,  for  in  those  re- 
gions acclimation  extending  over  thousands  of  years  has 
developed  and  fixed  certain  physiological  attributes, 
which  enables  them  to  readily  adapt  themselves  to  simi- 
lar conditions  elsewhere,  especially  in  the  line  of  tem- 
perature. It  may  make  no  difference  to  those  who  want 
plants  for  warm  climates,  whether  they  are  obtained 
from  mountain  or  valley,  but  it  certainly  does  to  those 
who  value  hardiness  above  all  other  merits. 

In  horticultural  matters  we  are  supposed  to  confine 
ourselves  within  certain  natural  lines  in  making  experi- 
ments, but  if  we  fail  in  one,  or  one  hundred,  it  proves 
little  beyond  the  bare  fact  that  we  have  not  been  suc- 
cessful. I  have  experimented  enough  to  have  become 
somewhat  wary  of  deciding  that  a  thing  cannot  be  done, 
or  is  impossible,  because  of  my  own  and  others'  failures. 
Every  practical  horticulturist  can  call  to  mind  many 


CASTAKOPSIS.  59 

productions  which  had  evaded  the  pursuit  of  experi- 
menters for  decades  and  even  centuries. 

For  specimens  of  the  nuts,  burs  and  plants  of  this 
handsome  nut-bearing  tree  I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  J.  J. 
Harden,  of  Stayton,  Oregon,  who-  informs  me  that  it 
grows  in  the  mountains  near  by  to  a  very  large  size,  and 
among  such  well-known  kinds  of  shrubs  and  trees  as 
Rliamnus  Purshianus,  Cornus  Nuttalli,  Corylusrostrata, 
and  various  species  of  conifers  which  are  now  more  or 
less  common  in  our  Eastern  gardens  and  parks.  The 
twigs  and  leaves  are  shown  in  Fig.  10,  and  below  a  nut, 
and  in  Fig.  11  a  bur,  all  of  natural  size.  The  small  con- 
ical nut  is  slightly  triangular,  with  a  rather  firm,  brittle 
shell,  not  fibrous  as  in  the  acorn  and  chestnut.  The  burs 
are  produced  singly,  but  sometimes  several  on  a  twig,  and 
when  mature,  instead  of  opening  by  valves,  as  in  the  true 
chestnut,  they  break  up  irregularly.  The  kernels  are 
sweet  and  excellent  flavored,  and  are  sought  for  by  various 
kinds  of  birds,  as  well  as  by  all  the  squirrel  tribe,  and 
for  this  reason  it  is  very  difficult  to  procure  specimens, 
unless  gathered  before  they  are  fully  ripe.  The  nuts  do 
not  mature  the  first  season,  but  pass  the  winter  in  a 
partly  developed  stage,  usually  ripening  the  second  year 
about  midsummer  or,  in  northern  Oregon,  in  July. 

It  is  quite  probable  that  this  Castanopsis,  when 
planted  in  the  Atlantic  States,  will  require  a  little  shade 
or  protection,  like  the  American  holly  and  similar  broad- 
leaved  evergreens,  and  while  it  may  not  thrive  anywhere 
north  of  Delaware  and  Maryland,  it  is  worth  trying,  as 
the  sole  native  representative  of  a  genus  containing  sev- 
eral species  of  noble  evergreen  trees. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE     CHESTNUT. 

Castanea,  Tournefort.  The  ancient  classical  name 
derived  either  from  Castanis,  a  town  in  Thessaly,  or  one 
in  Pontius,  as  historians  disagree  in  regard  to  its  deriva- 
tion. The  genus  belongs  to  the  order  Cupuliferce. 

Male  flowers  irregularly  clustered  in  long,  naked, 
cylindrical  catkins  from  the  axils  of  the  leaves  and  on 
the  new  shoots  of  the  season.  Calyx  five  or  six  parted  ; 
stamens  or  pollen-bearing  organs  seven  to  fifteen ;  an- 
ther two-celled.  On  old,  mature  trees,  the  male  catkins 
are  usually  crowded  near  the  end  of  the  short  new  twigs, 
as  shown  in  Fig.  12,  the  terminal  one  productive ;  but 
on  young  thrifty  trees,  wide  apart.  Female  flowers 
always  on  and  near  the  base  of  a  late-developed  male 
catkin,  sometimes  two  or  three  together, — or  even  six  or 
eight  on  the  chinquapins, — oval  or  ovoid,  scaly,  prickly, 
two-  to  f our- valved  involucre  or  bur;  calyx  usually  with 
a  four-  to  six-lobed  border  crowning  the  three-  to  seven- 
celled  ovary ;  stigmas  bristle-shaped,  and  as  many  in 
number  as  there  are  cells  in  the  ovary.  Shell  of  the  nut 
leathery,  not  brittle,  ovoid,  two  or  more  together  in  the 
larger  species,  in  others  solitary,  or  only  one  in  a  bur. 
Kernel  very  thick,  fleshy,  and  somewhat  plaited,  sweet 
and  edible. 

Both  male  and  female  flowers  appear  late  in  spring, 
the  males  usually  exceedingly  so,  exhaling  a  slightly  nau- 
seating odor.  The  productive  male  catkins  appear  the 
latest,  their  base  becoming  the  rachis  or  stalk  support- 
ing the  burs,  this  rather  anomalous  arrangement  appear- 

60 


THE   CHESTNUT. 


61 


FIG.  12.     CHESTNUT  FLOWERS. 


62  THE   NUT    CULTUEIST. 

ing  to  be  a  natural  provision  to  secure  fertilization  in 
case  the  earlier  catkins  failed. 

The  genus  Castama,  as  now  restricted,  contains 
shrubs  and  large  trees,  with  simple,  alternate  deciduous 
leaves,  coarsely  serrate,  with  pointed  spiny  teeth.  In- 
digenous, and  widely  distributed  over  northern  Africa, 
southern  Europe,  Asia  and  the  eastern  half  of  the 
United  States. 

The  common  English  name  of  this  nut  is  supposed 
to  be  derived  from  the  Anglo-Saxon  cystel,  chestnut, 
and  cyst-beam  or  cisten-beam,  chestnut  tree ;  Old  Eng- 
lish, cliastein  or  chesten ;  Old  German,  chestinna  or 
Tcestinna;  Modern  German,  Tcestene  or  kastanie  ;  French, 
castaigne  or  chataigne;  Provencal,  castanlia;  Spanish, 
castana;  Italian,  castagna,  from  the  Latin  castanea. 

History  of  the  Chestnut. — The  so-called  Euro- 
pean chestnut  is  supposed  to  be  indigenous  to  Asia 
Minor,  Armenia,  Caucasus  and  northern  Africa,  and 
from  these  countries  it  was  introduced  and  became  nat- 
uralized throughout  the  greater  part  of  temperate  Eu- 
rope, where  it  has  been  cultivated  from  time  immemo- 
rial. The  Romans  are  supposed  to  have  distributed  it 
northward  through  France  and  Great  Britain,  and  in 
the  latter  country  there  were  trees  centuries  ago  of  such 
large  size  that  many  of  the  early  English  authors  claimed 
this  tree  was  indigenous.  But  in  the  absence  of  any 
natural  forests  of  chestnut,  the  claim  had  to  be  aban- 
doned. In  parts  of  France,  Italy  and  Spain,  the  chest- 
ijut  has  become  thoroughly  naturalized  and,  as  we  may 
say,  run  wild,  but  as  one  of  the  early  investigators  says, 
in  speaking  of  the  abundance  of  old  chestnut  trees  on 
the  Apennines,  they  are  generally  scattered  over  the 
surface  like  trees  on  a  well-arranged  lawn,  and  not 
crowded  and  massed,  as  they  would  be  in  a  state  of 
nature  or  in  a  forest.  On  the  south  side  of  the  Alps  the 
trees  grow  up  to  an  altitude  of  twenty-five  hundred  feet, 


THE   CHESTNUT.  63 

and  on  the  Pyrenees  some  two  or  three  hundred  feet 
higher. 

There  are  old  trees  of  immense  size  almost  every- 
where in  the  milder  regions  of  Europe,  and  the  cele- 
brated monarchs  of  Etna  have  ~been  many  times  de- 
scribed by  travelers.  The  largest  measure  one  hundred 
and  eighty  feet  in  circumference  near  the  root.  All  the 
early  Roman  writers  who  have  anything  to  say  about 
rural  affairs,  mention  the  chestnut  as  one  of  their  val- 
uable trees,  producing  nuts  used  for  various  purposes. 
Pliny  enumerates  eight  varieties,  but  Columella  appears 
to  place  more  value  upon  the  timber,  especially  the 
sprouts,  for  stakes,  than  he  does  on  the  nuts.  But  long 
before  the  Romajis  began  to  cultivate  the  chestnut,  the 
Greeks  held  it  in  high  esteem  under  the  name  of  Sardi- 
anos  Balanos  or  Sardis  nut,  and  still  later  it  was  called 
Dios  Balanos  Lopimon. 

The  European  chestnut  has  been  so  frequently  and 
extensively  referred  to  by  ancient  and  modern  authors 
that  it  would  not  be  at  all  difficult  to  fill  a  large  volume 
with  brief  extracts  from  their  works,  but  my  aim  is  not 
so  much  to  show  what  has  been  done  with  this  nut  in 
other  countries  as  what  we  may  do  with  it  here.  All 
nations  who  have  any  experience  with  it  admit  its  value 
as  food  for  many  wild  and  domesticated  animals,  as  well 
as  for  the  human  race,  and  we  know,  from  our  long 
experience  with  the  native  species,  that  it  is  highly 
esteemed  wherever  known,  although  it  must  be  admitted 
that  our  sparse  population  and  the  abundance  of 
other  kinds  of  food,  have  tended  to  make  us  careless 
and  neglectful  of  the  indigenous  chestnut. 

It  may  be  well,  before  dismissing  this  brief  history 
of  the  chestnut,  to  add  that  while  nearly  all  the  ancient 
authors,  in  referring  to  it,  employed  its  present  scien- 
tific name  of  Castanea,  still,  when  botanists  first  at- 
tempted what  has  since  been  recognized  as  the  scientific 


€4  THE   KUT   CULTUKIST. 

classification  of  plants,  many  of  them  placed  the  chest- 
nut in  the  same  genus  as  the  beech,  retaining  the  gen- 
eric name  of  Fagus  for  both. 

Linnaeus,  in  his  Systema  Natures,  1766,  Vol.  II, 
p.  630,  describes  two  species  of  the  chestnut  and  one  of 
beech  in  the  genus  Fagus,  although  Tournefort,  in  his 
"History  of  Plants  Growing  About  Paris,"  published 
seventy  years  before  that  of  Linnaeus,  had  recognized 
the  distinctive  characteristics  of  these  two  groups  of  nut 
trees,  and  he  adopted  the  present  name  of  Castanea  for 
the  generic  name  of  the  chestnut,  and  Fagus  for  that  of 
the  beech.  But  nearly  all  of  the  English  and  earlier 
American  botanists  adopted  and  followed  Linnaeus  in 
his  classification,  ignoring  the  works  of  the  earlier  as 
well  as  contemporaneous  continental  botanists.  I  merely 
refer  to  this  matter  of  botanical  nomenclature  because 
some  of  my  readers  may  have  occasion  to  consult  the 
earlier  authors  who  describe  American  plants,  as,  for 
instance,  such  works  as  John  Clayton's  "Flora  of  Vir- 
ginia," 1739,  Thomas  Walter's  "Flora  Caroliniana," 
1787,  or  Humphrey  Marshall's  "American  Grove,"  1785. 
In  all  of  these,  and  others,  the  chestnut  is  described  as  a 
species  of  beech  (Fagus). 

Propagation  of  the  Chestnut. — The  usual  mode 
of  propagating  the  chestnut  is  from  seed,  when  trees  are 
wanted  for  general  planting  or  for  stocks  upon  which 
to  graft  improved  and  rare  varieties.  Under  some  con- 
ditions and  circumstances,  it  is  best  to  plant  the  nuts 
soon  after  they  are  ripe  in  autumn,  and  this  appears  to 
be  the  most  natural  method ;  in  fact,  it  is  the  way  in 
which  forests  have  been  produced  and  are  constantly 
renewed  and  perpetuated,  when  man  does  not  interfere 
to  prevent  it.  But  nature  is  in  no  hurry  in  such  mat- 
ters, while  man  always  is,  because  his  time  is  limited ; 
consequently,  in  our  attempts  at  the  multiplication  and 
cultivation  of  plants  we  aim  to  save  both  time  and  mate- 


THE    CHESTNUT.  65 

rial,  therefore  cannot  afford  to  adopt  nature's  slow  and 
wasteful  processes. 

The  principal  objection  to  planting  chestnuts  in  the 
fall  is  the  danger  of  having  them  destroyed  by  vermin, 
which  abound  almost  everywhere.  There  is  also  danger 
of  the  nuts  sprouting  prematurely  in  the  autumn,  and  of 
the  young  growth  being  killed  by  cold  or  by  excessive 
moisture  during  late  fall  rains.  But  these  natural  enemies 
and  obstacles  prevent  an  excess  in  number  and  the 
overcrowding  of  trees  in  our  forests.  It  is,  no  doubt, 
possible  and  practicable  to  smear  the  nuts  with  poison- 
ous substances,  or  those  sufficiently  offensive  to  prevent 
the*  depredations  'of  vermin,  but  taking  all  things  into 
consideration,  I  am  decidedly  in  favor  of  preserving  the 
nuts  in  bulk  and  in  a  dormant  state  until  the  season 
arrives  for  insuring  a  rapid  and  continuous  growth,  and 
then  planting  them.  To  do  this  in  our  cold  northern 
climate,  as  well  as  in  the  South,  requires  more  care  and 
attention  with  chestnuts  than  with  the  harder-shelled 
kinds,  like  the  walnut  and  hickory  nut.  As  a  rule,  it 
may  be  said  that  all  the  hardy  kinds  of  nuts  sprout  at  a 
rather  low  temperature  and  a  few  degrees  above  the 
freezing  point,  and  for  this  reason  it  is  well  to  select  as 
cool  a  spot  in  the  open  ground  as  possible  for  their  winter 
quarters,  and  then  examine  them  as  early  as  can  be  done 
conveniently  in  the  spring. 

In  this  matter  of  manipulating  and  preserving 
chestnuts  for  planting,  as  well  as  what  follows  in  regard 
to  transplanting,  pruning  and  grafting,  I  shall  give  my 
own  practice,  with  results  ;  and  while  it  may  differ  from 
that  of  other  propagators,  it  is  one  evolved  from  long 
experience,  many  successes,  and  a  few  failures. 

Gathering    and    Assorting    Nuts. — When    the 

nuts  begin  to  ripen  and  fall,  gather  as  soon  as  possible, 

and  if  the  trees  are  on  your  own  grounds  and  will  admit 

of  such  an  operation,  thrash  them  and  secure  the  entire 

5 


66  THE   XUT   CULTURIST. 

crop  at  once.  The  object  of  this  early  gathering  is  to 
collect  the  false  and  weevil-infested  specimens  and  de- 
stroy them.  But  in  whatever  way  the  nuts  are  collected, 
they  should  be  stored  in  the  shade  and  in  shallow  boxes, 
or  spread  out  on  a  tight  floor ;  but  the  better  way  would 
be  on  screens  over  a  floor,  and  then  when  the  grubs 
worked  their  way  downward  through  the  nuts  and  screen, 
they  would  fall  upon  the  floor,  from  which  they  could 
be  taken  up  and  burned  or  otherwise  destroyed.  The 
nuts,  while  on  the  screen  or  other  receptacle,  should  be 
stirred  over  daily  for  two  or  three  weeks,  and  by  that 
time  they  will  be  in  good  condition  for  either  planting 
or  packing  away  for  the  winter.  But  before  finally  dis- 
posing of  the  nuts  in  either  way,  they  should  be  carefully 
looked  over,  and  every  shrunken  specimen,  as  well  as  all 
with  punctured  shells  from  which  the  grubs  have  es- 
caped, removed  from  among  the  sound  stock,  because 
these  damaged  nuts  are  not  only  useless,  but  are  very 
likely  to  decay  and  affect  all  with  which  they  come  in 
contact.  It  is  not  to  be  expected  that  by  such  means  or 
handling  we  can  get  rid  of  all  the  grubs  enclosed  in  the 
nuts  when  gathered,  for  there  will  always  be  a  few  not 
more  than  half  grown  at  the  time,  and  these  will  remain 
hidden  in  the  nuts  until  midwinter,  or  later,  but  the 
greater  part  of  the  brood  will  reach  maturity  within  two 
or  three  weeks  after  the  nuts  are  ripe.  Of  course,  what 
is  said  here  about  chestnut  weevils  is  only  applicable  to 
chestnuts  grown  in  this  country,  but  all  species  and  vari- 
eties, when  planted  here,  are  subject  to  the  attacks  of 
this  pest — at  least,  everywhere  in  the  Eastern  and 
Southern  States. 

Having  assorted  the  nuts  carefully,  the  sound  ones 
should  be  reserved  for  planting ;  these  should  be  mixed 
with  or  stratified  with  moist,  sharp  sand,  and  stored  in 
boxes  of  convenient  size  for  handling  and  examination, 
whenever  this  is  required.  In  preparing  the  boxes,  bore 


THE   CHESTKUT.  67 

a  number  of  small  holes  through  the  bottom,  and  over 
each  of  these  lay  a  piece  of  a  broken  flower-pot,  brick 
or  stone,  then  cover  the  bottom  one  inch  deep  with  the 
moist  sand,  and  on  this  place  a  single  layer  of  nuts,  then 
fill  in  all  interstices  with  sand,  and  also  use  enough  more 
to  fairly  cover  the  layer ;  and  proceed  in  this  way  until 
all  the  nuts  are  disposed  of  or  the  box  is  full,  covering 
the  top  layer  one  or  two  inches  deep,  because  the  sand 
will  settle  some  after  the  work  seems  complete.  The 
boxes  may  be  covered  with  fine  wire  netting  or  with  nar- 
row strips  of  boards,  fitting  these  so  that  mice  cannot 
get  in,  but  should  not  be  air-tight.  They  may  then  be 
buried  in  the  open  ground,  selecting  some  knoll  or  dry 
spot  for  this  purpose,  for  the  nuts  should  not  be  placed 
where  they  will  be  submerged,  or  even  be  watersoaked, 
at  any  time  during  the  fall,  winter  or  early  spring.  If 
no  such  spot  is  conveniently  near,  then  set  the  boxes  on 
the  top  of  the  ground,  and  on  the  north  side  of  some 
building  or  in  the  shade  of  an  evergreen  tree,  and  bank 
over  with  soil,  covering  the  boxes  a  foot  deep.  If  the 
spot  selected  is  under  the  eaves  of  a  building,  place 
boards  over  the  heap  of  soil,  to  carry  off  the  water,  for 
the  object  is  to  keep  the  nuts  moderately  moist,  cool, 
and  where  they  will  not  be  subjected  to  frequent  changes 
of  temperature.  In  our  Northern  States  the  nuts, 
under  such  conditions,  usually  become  frozen  during 
the  coldest  weather,  but  this  does  not  injure  them  if  the 
sand  is  moist  and  they  remain  frozen,  as  there  will  be  no 
danger  of  germination ;  while  if  kept  too  warm,  they 
may  start  to  grow  before  the  seedbed  is  ready,  in  spring, 
for  their  reception.  I  have  tried  keeping  the  nuts 
mixed  with  sand  in  a  cool  cellar,  also  in  outbuildings, 
but  have  not  found  any  other  place  so  certain  as  pits  in 
the  open  ground. 

Seedbed  and  Soil. — It  is  well  to  have  the  seedbed 
prepared  the  previous  autumn,  but  it  is  not  absolutely 


68  THE   XUT   CULTUEIST. 

necessary.  The  soil  for  the  bed  should  be  light,  either 
sandy  or  loamy,  and  if  not  rich,  made  so  by  adding  very 
old  and  fine  stable  manure,  or  leaf  mold  from  the  forest 
— I  prefer  the  latter,  as  it  is  the  most  natural  for  all 
kinds  of  seedling  nut  trees.  Whatever  fertilizing  mate- 
rials are  used,  they  should  be  placed  on  or  near  the  sur- 
face, and  never  worked  in  deeply,  for  our  aim  should  be 
the  production  of  side  or  lateral  fibers,  and  not  coarse 
perpendicular  roots.  Furthermore,  seedling  nut  trees 
grown  on  light,  sandy  soils  or  in  pure  leaf  mold,  produce 
a  far  greater  number  of  small  fibrous  roots  than  on  heavy 
soils,  and  this  is  a  decided  advantage  with  those  which 
are  to  be  transplanted. 

Planting  the  Nuts. — When  the  time  arrives  for 
planting,  take  the  nuts  from  their  winter  quarters,  and 
after  sifting  out  the  sand,  sow  or  drop  them  in  drills, 
covering  about  two  inches  deep  with  fine  soil.  With 
the  small  native  varieties  my  practice  has  been  to  sow  in 
wide  drills;  that  is,  those  made  with  the  blade  of  a 
common  garden  hoe,  and  of  the  same  width,  the  nuts 
being  scattered  along  the  bottom  two  to  three  inches 
apart. 

The  soil  is  then  drawn  in  over  them  and  pressed 
down  with  the  back  of  the  hoe,  or  by  passing  a  light 
garden  roller  over  the  surface.  If  the  size  of  the  seed- 
bed is  not  limited,  or  only  a  small  quantity  of  nuts  are 
to  be  sown,  then  the  single  row  would  be  preferable, 
because  less  hand  weeding  will  be  needed  to  subdue  the 
weeds,  and  for  all  the  larger  varieties  I  should  certainly 
recommend  it,  because  they  are  of  a  more  stocky  growth. 
The  distance  allowed  between  the  drills  will  depend 
somewhat  upon  the  implements  to  be  employed  in  culti- 
vation, as  well  as  how  long  the  seedlings  are  to  remain 
in  the  seedbed  before  transplanting,  but  from  two  to 
three  feet  will  be  found  convenient  for  the  ordinary 
modes  of  cultivation. 


THE     CHESTNUT.  69 

If  the  seedlings  make  a  fair  average  growth  the  first 
season  they  will  be  from  one  to  three  feet  high  in  the 
autumn,  and  as  soon  as  the  leaves  have  fallen  they  may 
be  taken  up,  or  allowed  to  remain  until  the  following 
spring  and  then  lifted.  But  if,  from  any  cause,  they 
have  made  a  feeble  growth,  it  is  better  to  let  them  re- 
main in  the  seedbed  another  year.  Where  large  quanti- 
ties of  seedlings  are  raised  they  are  usually  taken  up 
with  a  tree-digger  drawn  by  a  span  of  horses  or  mules, 
but  with  only  a  few  hundred  or  a  thousand  to  dig,  a 
common  spade  will  answer  every  purpose ;  and  if,  when 
removed  from  the  seedbed,  they  are  found  to  have  pro- 
duced long  perpendicular  taproots,  these  should  be 
shortened  to  about  one-half  their  original  length.  For 
instance,  if  these  taproots  are  taken  up  entire  and  are 
eighteen  to  twenty  inches  long,  cut  away  the  lower  half, 
whether  it  consists  of  one  or  more  long  perpendicular 
roots,  as  this  pruning  will  force  the  plants  to  produce  a 
greater  number  of  lateral  roots,'  and  it  is  upon  these  we 
depend  mainly  for  keeping  our  trees  alive  and  vigorous 
if  transplanted  when  larger  and  older.  All  side  branches 
should  be  pruned  off  close  to  the  main  stem,  for  we  aim 
to  favor  the  latter  in  its  growth  upward  until  it  reaches 
the  required  hight  for  either  grafting  or  forming  the 
future  head,  of  the  tree. 

In  taking  up  seedlings,  it  is  not  safe  to  leave  them 
for  any  considerable  time  exposed  to  the  sun  and  drying 
winds,  and  they  should  be  carried  either  to  a  shed  or 
other  building  while  being  pruned,  and  also  covered 
with  blankets  in  the  field,  except  during  moist,  cloudy 
days.  A  very  little  drying  of  the  small  fibers  on  such 
plants  is  always  more  or  less  injurious. 

Planting  in  Nursery  Rows. — After  the  seedlings 
have  been  taken  from  the  seedbed  and  pruned,  they 
should  be  set  out  in  nursery  rows,  four  feet  apart,  and 
the  plants  about  eighteen  inches  in  the  row.  Trenches 


70  THE   NUT   CULTUEIST. 

should  be  opened  for  the  reception  of  the  plants,  and 
wide  enough  to  allow  all  the  roots  to  be  spread  out  in  a 
natural  position  ;  and  it  is  well  to  set  a  little  deeper  than 
the  seedlings  were  in  the  seedbed,  because  newly  plowed 
ground  will  settle  some  after  the  planting  is  finished, 
although  the  soil  should  always  be  packed  firmly  about 
the  stems  of  newly  set  trees,  whether  large  or  small. 
The  more  frequent  and  thorough  the  cultivation  during 
the  ensuing  summer,  the  more  rapid  will  be  the  growth 
of  the  trees. 

If  the  transplanted  seedlings  have  produced  any 
considerable  number  of  side  branches, — and  especially, 
low  down, — these  may  be  pruned  off  at  any  time  during 
the  summer,  for  our  object  is  usually  to  secure  straight, 
upright  stems  for  grafting  the  following  spring,  if  they 
are  large  and  tall  enough ;  if  not,  we  may  delay  this  oper- 
ation for  another  year.  Of  course,  small  chestnut  stocks 
may  be  grafted  close  to  the  ground,  but  there  is  nothing 
really  gained  by  this,  for  a  good  strong  stock  will  push 
a  cion  forward  more  in  one  season  than  a  weak  stock  in 
two  or  three  seasons.  But  when  the  stocks  have  reached 
a  diameter  of  from  three-eighths  to  one-half  an  inch 
three  or  four  feet  from  the  ground,  they  may  be  grafted, 
but  I  would  prefer  to  have  them  a  little  over  than  under 
these  sizes. 

Stocks  From  the  Forests. — It  is  not  necessary 
for  a  man  who  may  need  a  few  chestnut  stocks  for  ex- 
perimental or  other  purposes,  to  wait  until  they  can  be 
grown  from  the  nut,  because  these  can  always  be  pur- 
chased at  the  nurseries ;  but  if  one  does  not  wish  to 
incur  even  this  small  outlay,  it  may  be  avoided  by  ob- 
taining a  supply  from  the  forests,  provided  there  are 
any  in  the  neighborhood  where  chestnut  seedlings  are  to 
be  found,  and  the  owner  will  permit  their  removal.  The 
best  wild  stocks  are  usually  to  be  found  in  recent  clear- 
ings, or  where  the  larger  trees  have  been  cut  off  for  tim- 


THE    CHESTNUT.  71 

ber,  and  the  underbrush,  composed  of  seedlings  and 
sprouts,  is  left  to  grow  up  again  into  a  forest.  There 
are  many  thousands  of  acres  in  New  Jersey,  New  York, 
and  other  Eastern  States,  from  which  the  timber  is  cut 
every  twenty  or  thirty  years,  and  no  further  attention 
paid  to  the  land  or  what  it  produces.  Wherever  such 
clearings  are  found  containing  chestnufc  trees,  good 
stocks  can  usually  be  procured  by  selecting  those  varying 
from  one  to  two  inches  in  diameter  at  the  ground,  and 
if  the  soil  in  which  they  are  growing  is  rather  poor  and 
stony  they  will  usually  have  pretty  good  roots,  if  care- 
fully taken  up.  They  should  be  pruned  to  a  single 
stem,  and  this  cut  off  at  a  hight  of  from  five  to  six  feet 
or  less,  then  planted  where  they  are  to  remain  perma- 
nently. Such  stocks,  if  carefully  taken  up  and  planted, 
will  throw  out  numerous  sprouts  from  their  stems  dur- 
ing the  summer,  but  all  should  be  rubbed  off  while  small 
and  tender,  except  three  or  four  at  the  top,  and  the  fol- 
lowing spring,  if  wanted  for  this  purpose,  they  may  be 
grafted  in  the  same  way  as  the  young  stocks  growing  in 
the  nursery,  thereby  saving  three  or  four  years  of  time 
in  securing  bearing  trees.  Having  often  employed  such 
wildings  for  stocks  with  just  as  good  results  as  with 
those  raised  from  the  nuts  in  nursery  rows,  I  am  inclined 
to  recommend  them,  where  obtainable,  knowing  that 
there  are  thousands  of  farmers  and  owners  of  small 
places  in  the  country  who  can  do  likewise,  but  may  have 
never  thought  it  practicable  to  transplant  nut  trees  from 
the  forest,  although  well  aware  of  the  fact  that  elms, 
maples,  and  similar  kinds  were  obtained  there,  and  in 
immense  numbers,  for  planting  in  the  streets  of  villages 
and  alongside  country  highways. 

The  Season  for  Grafting. — The  proper  time  for 
grafting  the  chestnut  is  in  early  spring,  just  as  the  buds 
begin  to  swell,  but  not  until  all  danger  of  freezing 
weather  is  past,  although  light  frosts  will  not  seriously 


72  THE   NUT   CULTURIST. 

injure  newly  set  cions.  The  grafting  may  be  continued 
while  the  leaves  are  unfolding,  provided  the  cions  were 
cut  early  and  stored  in  a  cool  place,  where  they  remain 
in  a  dormant  state  until  used.  I  usually  cut  the  shoots 
wanted  for  this  purpose  during  the  late  fall  or  winter, 
and  then  pack  them  away  in  a  cool  cellar  between  layers 
of  damp  moss  (sphagnum)  to  be  obtained  in  almost  any 
swamp.  Cions  may  be  taken  from  the  tree  on  the  same 
day  that  they  are  used,  but  there  is  some  risk  in  this, 
because  we  cannot  control  the  weather,  and  a  week  of 
warm  rain  in  spring  may  delay  us  in  grafting,  while  it  is 
pushing  our  stocks  into  leaf;  and  then,  our  dormant 
cions  are  available,  while  those  on  the  trees  are  not,  ow- 
ing to  their  expanded  and  tender  buds. 

The  shoots  used  for  cions  are  those  of  the  previous 
season's  growth,  or  as  usually  termed,  one-year-old 
•wood ;  and  in  selecting  these,  endeavor  to  get  such  as 
are  plump,  well  ripened  and  firm.  If  taken  from  young 
and  yery  thrifty  chestnut  trees,  there  is  likely  to  be  a 
considerable  portion  of  the  upper  end  of  the  shoot  that 
is  rather  soft,  spongy  and  immature,  and  this  should  be 
discarded,  as  it  would  be  a  waste  of  time  to  use  it.  Of 
course,  I  am  supposing  that  the  grafter  is  so  fortunate 
as  to  be  able  to  make  his  own  selection  of  the  wood  de- 
sired ;  if  not,  then  he  may  be  compelled  to  do  the  best 
he  can  with  that  obtained  elsewhere. 

Grafting  Materials. — The  really  essential  materi- 
als and  implements  required*  in  grafting  nut  trees  are 
few  in  number.  Grafting  wax  must  be  provided,  and 
while  there  are  many  different  compositions  used  for 
this  purpose,  I  much  prefer,  for  ordinary  work  in  the 
open  air,  a  wax  made  after  the  old  formula,  and  as  fol- 
lows :  Take  one  pound  of  common  rosin,  one-half  pound 
of  beeswax,  and  one-quarter  of  a  pound  of  beef  tallow  ; 
melt  together  and  stir  enough  to  insure  the  thorough 
intermingling  of  the  ingredients,  and  then  set  away  to 


THE    CHESTNUT.  73 

cool,  or  pour  into  cold  water  and  work  up  into  cakes  or 
rolls  and  wrap  in  paper  until  wanted  for  use.  Larger 
quantities  may  be  made  if  required,  preserving  the  same 
proportions  of  the  materials  used.  If  to  be  used  imme- 
diately in  grafting  chestnuts  and  similar  trees,  then  pro- 
cure some  sheets  of  tough  manilla  paper  of  only  moder- 
ate thickness,  and  cut  this  up  into  sheets  about  six 
inches  wide  and  a  foot  long.  While  the  fresh-made 
wax  is  melted,  take  an  old  and  rather  stiff  paint  brush, 
dip  it  into  the  hot  wax  and  coat  the  papers  thinly 
with  it,  and  then  spread  them  out  on  shelves  or  else- 
where to  cool,  and  let  them  remain  undisturbed  until 
wanted  for  use.  Any  thin  kind  of  cloth  may  be  used 
instead  of  paper,  but  I  prefer  the  latter  because  it  will 
yield  to  the  pressure  of  the  enlarging  stock  and  cion 
when  growth  begins,  and  it  will  not  be  necessary  to  ex- 
amine the  grafted  stock  so  frequently  during  the  sum- 
mer to  prevent  girdling,  as  is  usually  the  case  when  a 
tougher  material  is  employed  for  wrappers.  Before  these 
waxed  sheets  are  taken  into  the  field  for  use,  lay  each 
one  separately  on  a  piece  of  board  with  the  waxed  side 
up,  and  with  the  point  of  a  sharp  knife  cut  them  cross- 
ways  into  narrow  strips  of  from  one-half  to  three-fourths 
of  an  inch  wide.  But  for  convenience  in  handling, 
insert  the  point  of  the  knife  a  half-inch  from  one  edge, 
but  cut  the  other  clean  through,  so  that  the  whole  sheet 
of  strips  can  be  lifted  together. 

In  early  spring  there  is  usually  more  or  less  windy 
weather,  and  if  waxed  sheets  of  paper  are  taken  out  into 
the  field  unprotected  they  are  very  likely  to  become  tan- 
gled up  and  useless.  To  prevent  this,  procure  a  number 
of  large  but  very  shallow  paper  boxes,  such  as  can  usu- 
ally be  had  at  the  stores  and  groceries  of  almost  any  vil- 
lage, and  in  these  place  a  single  layer  of  the  cut  waxed 
sheets,  where  they  will  be  protected  from  wind  and  dust 
until  removed  for  immediate  use. 


74  THE   NUT   CULTUBIST. 

Other  kinds  of  grafting  wax  can,  of  course,  be  used, 
and  are  usually  procurable  at  the  seed  stores  or  made  at 
home,  and  I  have  given  their  composition  and  the  formu- 
las for  their  manufacture  in  my  work,  "  The  Propagation 
of  Plants ;"  but,  as  I  have  already  said,  this  old  standard 
kind  of  wax  is  just  as  good  as  any  other,  although  a  little 
more  troublesome  to  use  on  account  of  its  sticky  consist- 
ency. Kaffia  or  bass  may  be  employed  as  ligatures  for 
holding  the  cions  in  place,  then  covered  with  Leport's 
or  other  kinds  of  liquid  grafting  wax ;  but  when  these 
are  employed  it  will  be  necessary  to  examine  the  grafted 
trees  frequently,  in  order  to  cut  the  ligatures  to  prevent 
girdling. 

The  best  implement  for  grafting  is  a  common  broad- 
blade  pocket  knife.  One  with  a  blade  three  to  three 
and  a  half  inches  long  and  three-fourths  of  an  inch  wide, 
is  a  handy  size.  It  should  be  of  the  best  material  for 
grafting  chestnuts,  because  the  wood  of  this  tree  is 
coarse-grained,  and  so  filled  with  siliceous  matter  that  it 
soon  dulls  the  keenest  blade,  and  the  grafter  will,  of 
necessity,  have  to  use  his  whetstone  frequently.  In 
grinding  the  knife-blade  have  the  sides  a  true  level,  from 
the  back  to  the  edge,  especially  the  underside  when  to  be 
held  in  the  right  hand  with  the  edge  towards  the  body. 
The  importance  of  having  a  blade  of  this  form  will  soon 
become  apparent  when  the  grafter  attempts  to  make  a 
true  sloping  cut  on  either  stock  or  cion,  and  it  would  be 
well  for  the  novice  to  practice  for  an  hour  or  two  in 
splicing  some  worthless  twigs  before  commencing  upon 
more  valuable  material,  for  even  an  expert  workman  is 
very  likely  to  make  some  awkward  dissections  and  joints 
when  out  of  practice.  The  professional  propagator  of 
plants  may  think  such  details  are  unimportant,  but  I 
wish  to  impress  upon  the  amateur  that  in  grafting  nut 
trees  we  are  dealing  with  kinds  that  will  not  respond 
satisfactorily  to  such  free  manipulations  as  the  apple 


THE    CHESTNUT. 


75 


: 


and  pear;   consequently,  better  and  more  careful  han- 
dling is  required  to  insure  success. 

When  ready  to  begin  operations  in  the  field,  take 
out  a  quantity  of  the  shoots  to  be  used  for  cions,  and 
keep  them  wrapped  in  damp  cloth  or 
packed  in  a  box,  basket  or  other  recep- 
tacle with  wet  moss,  to  prevent  drying. 
If  any  considerable  number  of  stocks  are 
to  be  grafted,  then  an  assistant  or  two 
will  be  required,  for  the  grafter  cannot 
be  alternately  handling  the 
knife  and  cions  and  wax,  and 
do  good  work,  but  if  he  only 
inserts  the  cions  and  his  as- 
sistant applies  the  waxed  lig- 
atures, the  operation  will  pro- 
ceed more  rapidly  and  satis- 
factorily. 

Modes  of  Grafting. — 
The  only  two  modes  of  graft- 
ing that  I  shall  recommend 
for  the  chestnut  are  the  splice 
or  whip  'graft,  and  the  cleft 
or  wedge  graft.  In  the  splice 
graft,  the  cion  and  stock 
should  be  of  about  the  same 
FIG.  is.  diameter,  but  if  there  is  any 
SPLICE  GRAFT,  difference  let  it  be  in  favor  of 
the  stock,  and  this  the  largest.  In  this 
mode  of  grafting,  the  stock  is  cut  off  with 
an  upward  slope,  exposing  two  or  three  nG.  M.  SPLICE 
inches  of  wood ;  and  about  midway  on  GRAFT  INSERTED. 
this  slope  a  small  cleft  or  incision  is  made,  forming 
what  is  called  a  "tongue."  The  cion  is  then  cut  in  the 
same  way  from  the  upper  end  downward,  with  a  corre- 
sponding incision,  as  seen  in  Fig.  13.  Then  the  two  are 


76  THE   XUT   CULTUKIST. 

neatly  fitted  together,  the  tongue  on  one  entering  the  cleft 
on  the  other,  making  a  close  joint,  as  shown  in  Fig.  14. 
The  bark  of  the  cion  and  stock  should  be  exactly  even  on 
one  side  at  least ;  and  if  they  are  of  the  same  size,  so 
much  the  better,  for  then  they  will  be  even  on  both  sides  ; 
but  we  cannot  expect  to  secure  such  perfect  joints  on 
every  stock,  or  any  considerable  number,  although  we 
aim  to  do  so  as  frequently  as  possible.  When  the  cion 
is  fitted,  the  waxed  paper  is  applied  by  placing  one  end 
of  the  strip  at  or  near  the  base  of  the  splice,  then  wind 
it  spirally  and  firmly  upward  until  the  entire  wound  is 
covered.  If  one  of  the  waxed  strips  is  not  enough  use 
another,  for  it  will  do  no  harm  if  they  are  double  on  a 
part  or  all  over  the  joint.  The  cion  should  not  be  much 
over  four  inches  long,  and  a  less  length  is  preferable, 
but  not  so  convenient  for  handling.  One  good  prom- 
inent bud  on  each  cion  is  sufficient,  arnd  this  left  near 
the  upper  end,  but  on  short-jointed  wood  we  may  use 
cions  with  two  or  more  buds  without  greatly  increasing 
their  length.  After  the  cion  is  in  place  and  every  part 
of  the  splice  is  carefully  sealed  with  the  waxed  paper, 
place  a  small  piece  or  a  little  wax  on  the  upper  end  of 
the  cion,  just  enough  to  cover  the  exposed  wound  and 
prevent  evaporation  of  the  natural  moisture  or  sap  in 
the  wood.  I  have  found,  in  practice,  that  this  sealing 
the  end  of  the  ciou  is  time  well  spent ;  in  fact,  to  leave 
any  of  the  wood  cells  exposed  to  the  air  endangers  the 
success  of  the  operation. 

Young  shoots  from  a  quarter  of  an  inch  in  diame- 
ter up  to  five-eighths  may  be  used  for  cions,  in  splice 
grafting ;  and  with  a  little  care  in  the  selection  of  stocks, 
or  by  cutting  them  off  a  few  inches  higher  or  lower,  we 
may  readily  manage  to  have  them  nearly  of  the  same 
diameter  to  match  our  cions,  whether  they  are  large  or 
small,  and  such  unions  will  soon  heal  over,  leaving  no 
scar  at  the  point  where  the  two  have  been  joined. 


THE    CHESTNUT. 


77 


If  the  new  growth  or  shoot  to  be  employed  as  a  cion 
is  slender  and  feeble,  then  the  base  of  the  cion  may  be  of 
two-year-old  wood,  leaving  just  a  bud  or  two  on  the 
upper  end  of  the  one-year  shoot.  But  it  will  seldom  be 
necessary  to  employ  such  cions  in  grafting  the  chestnut, 
although  it  may  occur  when  seeking  to  secure  wood  for 
propagation,  from  very  old  trees  which  have  made  only 
a  feeble  annual  growth. 

Cleft  Grafting.—  This  method  is  employed  princi- 
pally upon  stocks  or  branches  of  trees  too  large  for  splic- 
ing. The  stock  is  first  cut  off  at  the 
point  where  it  is  desirable  to  insert  the 
cion;  then  split  with  a  knife,  being 
careful  to  divide  it,  so  that  the  edges 
will  be  kept  smooth,  and  not  rough 
and  ragged  (Fig.  15).  When  the  knife 
blade  is  withdrawn,  the  cleft  may  be 
kept  open  with  a  hard  wood  wedge, 
if  the  stock  is  too  large  to  admit  of 

.••  •  »  •  p 

opening  it  with  the  point  01  the  kniie 
when  ready  to  insert  the  cion.  The  cion  may  be  three 
or  four  inches  long,  containing  two  or  more  buds  ;  the 
lower  end  is  cut  wedge-shape,  as  shown  in  Fig.  16,  and 
slightly  the  thickest  on  the  side  to  be  set 
against  the  bark  of  the  stock.  In  stocks 
of  an  inch  or  more  in  diameter,  two  cions, 
one  on  each  side,  may  be  inserted  (Fig. 
17),  and  if  both  grow  one  should  be  cut 
away,  else  the  tree,  in  later  years,  will  be 
very  likely  to  divide  or  break  apart  at  this 
point.  In  stocks  of  an  inch  or  less  in  di- 
ameter, one  cion  is  sufficient,  the  top  of 
the  stock  to  be  cut  off  with  an  upward  FIG-  17-  FIG-  18- 
slope,  as  shown  in  Fig.  18.  After  the  cions  are  inserted, 
the  entire  exposed  surface  of  the  wood  must  be  covered 
with  grafting  wax  or  waxed  paper,  and  usually  both  may 


FIG.  ID* 


78  THE   NUT   CULTURIST. 

be  employed  with  benefit.  All  the  various  forms  of 
grafting  in  the  open  air,  as  described  in  my  work  on  the 
"Propagation  of  Plants,"  may  be  employed  on  the 
chestnut,  but  the  two  here  given  will  probably  answer 
just  as  well  as  others  for  those  who  may  have  occasion  to 
propagate  this  tree. 

Success  in  Grafting. — The  question  has  been 
asked  many  times,  and  will,  no  doubt,  be  frequently 
repeated,  "What  percentage  of  cions  should  one  accus- 
tomed to  grafting  make  grow  ?"  As  there  are  no  statis- 
tics upon  which  to  base  an  answer  to  the  question,  I  can 
only  give  my  own  personal  experience,  and  this  leads  me 
to  say  that  seventy-five  per  cent  may  be  considered  an 
excellent,  if  not  a  high  average.  In  some  seasons  this 
has  been  exceeded  by  at  least  ten  per  cent,  while  in 
others  it  has  fallen  as  much  or  more  below,  with  no 
apparent  reason  for  the  difference.  Ninety-five  per  cent 
of  the  cions  may  push  their  buds,  or  even  make  a  growth 
of  several  inches,  then  begin  to  die  off;  consequently, 
the  time  to  count  your  successfully  grafted  trees  is  in 
the  autumn,  and  not  in  spring  or  midsummer,  as  it  is  to 
be  feared  some  are  in  the  habit  of  doing  when  making  a 
report  upon  what  they  call  success  in  grafting  nut  trees. 

Growth  of  Cions. — Cions  set  in  strong  stocks 
usually  make  a  very  rapid  and  vigorous  growth,  and  if 
left  unchecked,  there  is  danger  of  loss  by  being  broken 
or  blown  off  by  strong  winds  during  the  summer  and 
autumn.  To  prevent  this  as  much  as  possible,  it  has 
been  my  practice  to  pinch  off  the  ends  of  the  young 
shoots  when  they  are  about  two  feet  long.  Lateral 
shoots  will  then  push  out  freely,  and  in  some  seasons  it 
may  be  necessary  to  check  their  growth  in  the  same  way 
later.  On  feeble  stocks,  or  those  quite  small,  and  with 
the  less  vigorous  growing  varieties,  no  summer  pinching 
or  pruning  will  be  required.  My  experimental  grounds 
are  well  protected  upon  the  north  and  west,  not  only  by 


THE    CHESTNUT.  79 

rising  ground,  but  by  Norway  spruce  and  American 
arbor  vitae  hedges  twice  as  high  as  the  grafted  chestnut 
trees  in  the  nursery  rows,  and  yet  almost  every  season 
some  of  the  stronger-growing  grafts  are  blown  out  or 
broken  off  by  the  wind.  After  the  first  season  there  is 
little  danger  of  injury,  probably  because  the  union  be- 
tween cion  and  stock  has  become  stronger. 

Grafting  Chestnut  Sprouts. — In  grafting  the 
vigorous  sprouts  that  always  spring  up  from  the  stumps 
of  old  trees  that  have  been  recently  cut  down,  we  may 
reasonably  expect  a  prodigious  growth  of  the  cion  the 
first  season,  as  well  as  in  succeeding  ones,  and  if  all  goes 
well  with  them  we  will  secure  large  bearing  trees  in  a 
very  few  years,  but  such  stocks  are  only  available  where 
old  trees  are  sacrificed  for  their  timber  or  other  purposes. 
Having  a  few  such  sprouts  on  my  place,  they  have  been 
utilized  from  time  to  time  in  testing  some  of  the  newer 
varieties.  In  one  instance  I  allowed  the  cion,  set  on  a 
sprout  about  one  inch  in  diameter,  six  feet  from  the 
base,  to  grow  unchecked  throughout  the  season,  as  it 
was  in  a  protected  position,  and  in  the  fall  the  entire 
length  of  the  main  stem  and  lateral  branches  was  sixty- 
five  feet,  and  all  from  one  bud  on  a  cion  set  early  in  the 
spring.  The  third  year  this  tree  bore  about  a  peck  of 
very  large  nuts,  to  which  I  shall  have  occasion  to  refer 
again  under  "Injurious  Insects." 

Grafting  Large  Trees. — Grafting  large  chestnut 
trees  with  stems  of  six  inches  or  more  in  diameter,  and 
with  large  spreading  heads,  is  possible,  but  far  from 
being  economical  or  practicable,  especially  if  the  trees 
stand  out  where  they  will  get  the  full  sweep  of  prevail- 
ing winds.  By  cutting  off  and  grafting  a  few  of  the 
branches  at  a  time  for  several  seasons  in  succession,  one 
may,  in  a  few  years,  succeed  in  getting  the  entire  head 
grafted,  but  there  is  constant  danger  of  some  of  the  cions 
being  broken  out  if  they  make  a  vigorous  growth,  leav- 


80  THE   NUT   CULTURIST. 

ing  a  distorted  and  ill-shapen  tree.  Having  experi- 
mented somewhat  in  this  line  with  variable  success,  I 
am  not  inclined  to  recommend  it,  because  ten  trees  can 
be  raised  to  a  bearing  age  on  moderate-sized  stocks  with 
less  labor,  and  the  results  will  be  more  satisfactory. 

Budding  Chestnuts. — I  have  frequently  tried 
budding  chestnut  stocks  as  described  for  the  almond, 
and  extensively  employed  with  other  kinds  of  fruit  trees. 
But  the  results  of  my  experiments  have  been  unsatisfac- 
tory, although  buds  were  set  from  very  early  in  summer 
until  late  in  the  fall,  also  on  young  and  old  wood ;  but 
so  few  have  taken  and  remained  alive  over  winter  that 
my  personal  experience  in  this  mode  of  propagation  will 
not  justify  its  recommendation  to  others.  Perhaps  there 
is  some  secret  connected  with  the  operation  that  I  have 
not  yet  discovered,  but  which  is  known  to  other  propa- 
gators. Of  course,  budding  with  semi-dormant  wood  and 
buds  in  spring,  as  soon  as  the  bark  will  peel  from  the  wood, 
is  practicable,  but  there  is  really  nothing  to  be  gained 
by  this  mode  of  propagation  over  that  of  grafting. 

Transplanting  and  Pruning. — There  is  no  tree 
that  will  bear  or  withstand  more  severe  pruning  than 
the  chestnut.  If  trees  of  one  or  five  hundred  years  of 
age  are  cut  down,  the  stumps  are  sure  to  throw  up  an 
immense  number  of  sprouts  from  adventitious  buds,  as 
these  are  readily  produced  at  almost  any  point  on  the 
sapwood  or  alburnum  under  the  bark ;  and  yet,  with  this 
inherent  vitality  and  faculty  of  recuperation,  the  chest- 
nut tree  does  not  naturally,  like  many  other  deciduous 
kinds,  throw  up  suckers  from  the  roots.  Keeping  this 
peculiarity  in  mind,  the  cultivator  has  only  to  use  his 
pruning  knife  freely  upon  the  trees  to  secure  almost  any 
form  desired.  But  after  the  trees  have  become  well 
established,  very  little  pruning  will  be  required,  except 
to  occasionally  thin  out  or  remove  a  rambling  branch,  to 
secure  a  well-balanced  and  shapely  head  to  the  tree. 


THE    CHESTNUT.  81 

In  transplanting  from  the  nursery  rows,  after  graft- 
ing, and  especially  if  the  trees  are  of  some  considerable 
size  and  large  enough  to  set  where  they  are  to  remain 
permanently,  there  is  sure  to  be  a  loss  of  roots,  and 
those  that  are  preserved  are  likely  to  remain  for  a  short 
time  inactive  and  incapable  of  absorbing  nutrients  from 
the  soil  to  which  they  are  transferred,  or  until  new  root- 
lets are  produced.  Under  these  conditions  we  aim  to 
favor  the  roots  by  removing  or  cutting  back  the  greater 
part  of  the  branches.  No  matter  how  carefully  such 
trees  are  lifted  and  their  roots  protected  during  the 
operation  of  transplanting,  it  will  check  the  growth, 
and  the  best  and  most  practical  restorative  is  severe 
pruning  of  the  top,  and  every  young  shoot  of  the  previ- 
ous season's  growth  should  be  cut  back  to  within  three 
or  four  inches  of  its  base.  I  am  presuming  that  the 
trees  have  been  grafted  only  one  year,  but  if  older,  and 
the  cions  were  set  high  enough  to  begin  the  formation  of 
the  head  of  the  tree,  then  the  entire  young  growth  may 
be  cut  away  and  some  of  the  older  wood,  but  of  course 
not  below  the  graft.  All  broken  roots  must  be  cut  off ; 
and  the  ends  of  the  larger  ones,  roughly  severed  with 
the  spade  or  other  implements  employed  in  digging, 
should  have  their  wounds  smoothed  with  a  sharp  knife. 

Frequent  transplanting  and  root-pruning  young 
nursery  stock  tends  to  keep  up  a  proper  root  system, 
and  an  abundance  of  small  fibrous  roots  near  the  main 
stem,  and  trees  so  treated  are  worth  much  more,  if  to  be 
transplanted  later,  than  those  left  undisturbed ;  but 
while  the  latter  may  be  twice  the  size  of  the  former 
when  of  the  same  age,  they  are  not  worth  half  as  much 
to  the  purchaser,  or  for  transplanting  in  our  own 
grounds. 

Staking  Transplanted  Trees. — This  is  always 
necessary  for  recently  planted  trees,  if  they  are  of  any 
considerable  size,  or  from  six  feet  high  and  upwards. 
6 


82  THE   XUT   CULTUKIST. 

If  not  supported  by  stakes  they  are  sure  to  be  swayed 
about,  if  not  thrown  over,  by  strong  winds  in  summer. 
A  strong  stake,  two  or  three  inches  in  diameter,  would 
better  be  set  at  the  time  of  planting  the  tree,  thereby 
avoiding  breaking  off  or  crushing  the  roots,  as  frequently 
happens  when  stakes  are  driven  down  among  them  later 
in  the  season.  Set  the  stakes  or  drive  into  the  subsoil 
six  inches  from  the  stem,  then  use  strips  of  cloth,  sacks, 
carpet,  or  some  similar  material,  for  tying,  because  hard 
cord  or  twine  will  be  very  likely  to  cut  through  the  ten- 
der bark  from  the  constant  swaying  about  of  the  stems. 
Wind  the  strips  around  the  stem,  and  then  cross  between 
it  and  the  stake  once  or  twice,  to  prevent  the  tree  from 
pressing  against  or  coming  in  contact  with  the  stake. 
Renew  the  stakes  and  tying  materials,  if  necessary,  until 
the  trees  become  firmly  established,  and  provided  with 
lateral  roots  large  enough  to  keep  them  in  an  upright 
position. 

Mulching. — Placing  a  few  forkfuls  of  coarse  stable 
manure,  half-rotted  straw,  leaves,  or  any  similar  mate- 
rial, on  the  surface  about  the  stems  of  recently  planted 
trees,  will  prove  very  beneficial,  in  not  only  keeping 
down  the  weeds,  but  aiding  greatly  in  retaining  mois- 
ture in  the  soil  about  the  roots.  The  application  of 
some  such  material  as  a  mulch  is  all  the  more  important 
with  the  chestnut,  because  these  trees  are  always  to  be 
planted  in  a  naturally  dry  and  well  drained  soil. 

Distance  Between  Trees. — How  far  apart  chest- 
nut trees  should  be  planted  will  depend  very  much  upon 
the  species  and  varieties,  some  growing  to  immense 
trees,  while  others  are  only  fair-si  zed  shrubs  at  maturity. 
But  for  the  larger -growing  varieties,  forty  to  fifty  feet 
between  the  trees  is  none  too  much  space,  when  planted 
for  their  nuts  and  not  for  timber.  If  set  in  a  single  row 
along  the  public  highways,  farm  lanes  or  around  the 
outbuildings,  to  serve  as  shade  or  ornament,  and  for  their 


THE    CHESTNUT.  83 

nuts,  then  about  forty  feet  will  answer  very  well  for  the 
larger- growing  species ;  and  I  will  add  that,  in  my  opin- 
ion, all  the  larger  kinds  of  nut  trees  will  give  better 
returns  if  placed  in  such  positions,  than  when  set  in 
orchards  or  in  compact  masses.  When  set  in  single 
rows  or  widely  scattered,  they  are  less  liable  to  be  at- 
tacked by  insects  and  diseases,  while  they  will  still  serve 
the  double  purpose  of  being  both  ornamental  and  useful. 
I  must  admit,  however,  that  in  my  experimental  grounds, 
the  trees  are  planted  only  twenty  feet  apart,  but  with 
the  expectation  of  soon  cutting  out  every  alternate- 
specimen. 

Soil  and  Climate. — The  chestnut  thrives  best  in 
light,  well-drained  soils,  and  those  containing  a  large 
proportion  of  sand  or  decomposed  quartz,  slate,  or  vol- 
canic scoria  ;  but  it  is  rarely  found,  nor  does>it  succeed, 
in  heavy  clays,  limestone  soils,  or  on  the  rich  western 
prairies,  where  we  might  think  it  would  grow  most  lux- 
uriantly. That  limestone  soils  are  inimical  to  the  chest- 
nut has  often  been  disputed,  but  my  own  observations, 
which  have  been  somewhat  extensive  in  years  and  range 
of  country,  rather  confirm  the  impression  that  this  tree 
avoids  land  containing  any  considerable  percentage  of 
lime.  It  is  true  that  chestnut  groves,  and  sometimes 
extensive  forests,  are  found  on  hills  and  ridges  overlying 
limestone,  but  a  careful  examination  of  the  soil  among 
the  trees  will  show  that  it  is  a  drift  deposit  containing 
little  or  no  lime.  Such  groves  can  be  found  in  all  the 
southern  tier  of  counties  of  New  York,  also  among  the 
hills  of  northern  and  western  parts  of  New  Jersey,  and 
thence  west  and  south  along  the  Blue  Ridge  and  Alle- 
ghany  mountains  to  the  Carolinas,  and  westward  in 
Tennessee  and  Kentucky.  The  chestnut  is  sometimes 
found  in  New  Jersey  and  other  northern  Atlantic  States 
growing  in  considerable  abundance  near  streams  only 
a  few  feet  above  sea  level,  but  when  found  in  such 


84  THE   XUT    CULTURIST. 

situations  the  subsoil  is  invariably  sand,  gravel  or  porous 
shale. 

The  range  of  climate  in  which  the  native  sweet 
chestnut  thrives  is  quite  extensive,  as  it  is  found  spar- 
ingly in  Maine  in  latitude  44°,  extending  westward, — 
but  not  very  abundant  on  this  line, — through  New  Eng- 
land and  New  York,  crossing  the  Niagara  river,  skirting 
the  north  shore  of  Lake  Erie  in  Canada,  and  thence  into 
southern  Michigan,  but  does  not  reach  Illinois.  From 
this  line  southward  it  increases  in  abundance  in  Vir- 
ginia, western  North  Carolina  and  eastern  Tennessee  and 
Kentucky.  But  in  following  this  tree  southward  we 
meet  another  indigenous  species,  widely  known  as  the 
chinquapin  (Castanea  pumila).  This  species  is  indig- 
enous to  southern  New  Jersey,  and  sparingly  in  parts  of 
Pennsylvania,  becoming  more  plentiful  as  we  proceed 
southward,  the  two  species  named  overlapping  and  in 
part  occcupying  the  same  region ;  but  the  chinquapin 
extends  further  south,  and  also  to  the  westward,  near  its 
northern  limits  crossing  the  Mississippi  into  southern 
Missouri,  then  extends  south  again,  becoming  quite 
abundant  in  Arkansas. 

The  European  chestnut,  in  its  many  varieties,  ex- 
tends over  about  the  same  number  of  degrees  of  latitude 
in  Europe  as  our  species  do  here,  although  reaching  a 
higher  latitude  in  countries  bordering  on  the  Atlantic, 
as  shown  in  the  old  chestnut  trees  of  England.  The 
Oriental  chestnut  has  also  a  very  wide  range,  but  the 
limits  are  not  so  well  known  as  those  of  the  European 
and  American  species ;  but  a  study  of  its  geographical 
distribution  is  of  considerable  importance,  now  that  we 
are  importing  these  nuts  for  cultivation.  The  same  is 
also  true  of  the  European  varieties,  and  the  cultivator 
who  neglects  to  take  this  matter  into  consideration  will 
fail  to  secure  whatever  advantages  may  have  accrued 
from  acclimation,  an  agency  which,  undoubtedly,  has 


THE    CHESTNUT.  85 

been  active  and  continuous  in  modifying  and  changing 
the  primary  characteristics  of  these  plants  during  un- 
known ages. 

To  more  fully  impress  upon  the  reader  the  impor- 
tance of  care  in  the  selection  of  materials  to  be  employed 
in  any  pursuit  with  which  he  is  not  perfectly  familiar, 
I  am  prompted  to  relate  the  story  of  my  first  personal 
experience  in  chestnut  culture,  as  it  may  serve  as  a  warn- 
ing to  others  who  may  attempt  to  raise  these  nuts  in  a 
cold  climate. 

At  the  time  of  purchasing  the  farm  which  has  been 
my  home  for  the  past  thirty  years,  nut  trees  of  various 
kinds  were  on  my  list  of  things  wanted,  and  the  chest- 
nut occupied  a  leading  position,  probably  because  there 
were  already  many  old  and  large  native  trees  on  the 
place.  My  first  planting  consisted  of  a  number  of  im- 
ported seedlings,  obtained  from  a  well-known  French 
nursery.  The  trees  were  three  or  four  years  old,  very 
stocky  and  vigorous,  and  they  made  a  good  growth  the 
first  season ;  but  the  following  winter  the  young  shoots 
were  all  frozen  down  to  old  wood,  with  the  exception  of 
one  tree,  and  thinking  that  this  might  prove  hardy, 
cions  were  taken  from  it  and  set  in  thrifty  sprouts  grow- 
ing in  a  grove  near  by.  The  cions  made  rapid  growth, 
and  from  one  of  these  I  soon  had  a  large  tree,  which  re- 
mained in  good  health  for  twenty  years,  but  during  all 
that  time  it  produced  but  one  bur,  containing  two  half- 
developed  nuts.  Why  it  was  unfruitful  I  do  not  pretend 
to  know,  but  it  was  certainly  not  for  want  of  company,  for 
it  had  large  native  chestnut  trees  all  about  it,  and  these 
bearing  heavy  crops.  The  seedling  trees  planted  in  the 
orchard  also  failed  to  be  fruitful,  and  were  finally  dug 
up  and  burned.  Thus  ended  my  first  experiment  in  the 
cultivation  of  the  European  chestnut.  Had  my  location 
been  farther  south  and  in  a  milder  climate,  the  experi- 
ment might  have  ended  differently,  but  I  am  relating  ex- 


•86  THE   NUT   CULTURIST. 

perience,  and  not  attempting  to  guess  what  might  have 
been  the  results  under  more  favorable  conditions.  In 
the  meantime,  however,  I  had  seen  a  few  trees  of  the 
Japan  chestnut  bearing  on  Long  Island,  and  had  re- 
ceived specimens  of  the  Numbo  and  Paragon,  two  now 
well-known  and  superior  varieties  of  the  European  spe- 
cies, although  raised  in  this  country.  These  varieties 
were  secured,  and  succeeded  so  well  that  I  have  contin- 
ued to  add  others  from  time  to  time,  or  as  soon  as  trees 
or  cions  were  obtainable. 

The  success  which  appears  to  have  attended  the 
propagation  and  dissemination  of  these  two  varieties  of 
European  parentage  has  awakened  considerable  interest 
in  chestnut  culture,  besides  attracting  the  attention  of 
those  interested  in  such  matters  to  the  fact  that  there 
are  many  old  trees  of  the  same  or  similar  origin  scattered 
about  the  country,  awaiting  the  coming  nut  culturist  to 
propagate  them  and  make  known  their  merits. 

It  may  be  well,  before  leaving  this  subject,  to  re- 
mind the  novice  in  chestnut  culture  that  seedlings  of 
these  hardy  and  productive  descendants  of  the  European 
species  will  not  come  true  from  the  nut  or  seed,  and 
while  it  will  be  admitted  that  the  chances  are  somewhat 
better  for  procuring  a  hardy  variety  from  such  nuts 
than  from  those  imported,  still,  there  is  no  certainty  of 
any  considerable  number  being  equal  in  hardiness  or 
other  respects  to  the  parent  tree.  There  is  an  inherent 
tendency,  in  tree  seedlings  of  all  kinds,  to  revert  to  the 
wild  form  or  type,  and  the  chestnut  is  no  exception  to 
this  rule. 

Species  of  Chestnut. — What  is  called  a  "species," 
among  plants,  is  a  particular  form  or  type  supposed  to 
have  descended  from  one  original  stock,  whether  this 
was  composed  of  one  or  more  individuals.  But  varia- 
tions doubtless  occurred  at  the  first  inception  or  multi- 
plication of  the  original,  but  so  long  as  the  offsprings  do 


THE    CHESTNUT.  87 

not  differ  so  widely  as  to  be  untraceable  to  the  proemial 
types,  they  are  held  to  be  varieties  of  one  species. 

Whether  all  the  chestnuts  found  in  the  various 
countries  of  the  world  are  descendants  of  one  original 
tree  or  group  of  trees  is  now  beyond  our  ability  to  deter- 
mine ;  consequently,  what  are  now  termed  species  rests 
very  much  upon  the  opinions  of  botanists,  as  may  read- 
ily be  demonstrated  by  consulting  the  works  of  hundreds 
of  authors  who  have  essayed  to  describe  and  classify  the 
plants  of  any  locality  or  country,  and  this,  too,  without 
reaching  an  absolute  finality  acceptable  to  their  contempo- 
raries, or  at  all  likely  to  share  a  better  fate  with  posterity. 

For  many  years  after  botany  began  to  be  recognized 
as  a  science,  the  common  American  sweet  chestnut  was 
considered  a  distinct  species,  but  in  recent  years  it  has 
been  relegated  to  the  position  of  a  widely  distributed 
variety  of  the  European  chestnut,  and  it  is  so  described 
and  classified  in  most  of  the  botanical  works  of  the  pres- 
ent time,  and  under  such  names  as  Castanea  vesca,  vari- 
ety Americana;  Castanea  sativa,  variety  Americana; 
Castanea  vulgar  is,  variety  Americana,  etc. 

The  Asiatic  species  or  varieties — under  whichever 
cognomen  we  may  find  them  described  in  botanical 
works — have  fared  little  better  than  our  American  kinds, 
for  some  botanists  have  described  the  Japan  chestnut  as 
a  distinct  species,  while  others  only  as  a  widely  diver- 
gent variety  of  the  common  European  chestnut. 

I  regret  that  there  should  be  any  need  of  giving  so 
much  space  to  this  matter  of  species  and  varieties,  yet 
presuming  that  far  the  larger  number  of  my  readers  will 
not  be  professional  botanists,  nor  persons  with  a  botan- 
ical library  at  hand  to  consult  for  unfamiliar  terms,  I 
have  thought  this  explanation  in  regard  to  classification 
might  assist  them  in  making  clear  the  apparent  confu- 
sion of  names  which,  in  the  main,  are  only  synonyms. 
Furthermore,  I  purpose  retaining  some  of  the  older  spe- 


88 


THE   XUT   CCLTUKIST. 


cific  names  of  the  distinct  groups  of  varieties,  whether 
it  be  strictly  in  accord  with  the  ideas  of  eminent  author- 
ities or  otherwise,  because  it  will  be  more  convenient  to 

do  so,  and  certain  phases  will 
thus  be  made  clearer  to  the 
practical  cultivators  of  nut 
trees,  for  whom  this  work  is 
written.  My  wish  is  to  assist 
those  who  do  not  know,  but 
want  to  learn  how  to  obtain, 
plant  and  make  nut  trees  grow 
and  bear  remunerative  crops. 
CASTAXEA  AMERICAXA 
(American  sweet  chestnut). — 
Leaves  oblong-lanceolate,  ser- 
rate, with  rather  coarse  teeth, 
each  terminated  with  a  feeble 
prickle  or  spine ;  smooth  on 
both  sides  (Fig.  19).  Burs 
thickly  covered  with  sharp, 
branching  spines  a  half  inch 
long  or  less, .  from  a  fleshy 
green  envelope,  becoming 
hard  and  somewhat  woody ; 
opening  by  four  valves  or  di- 
visions when  mature.  Usu- 
ally three  nuts  in  each  bur, 
the  center  one  flattened  by 
compression,  the  two  outer 


I  FIG. 


10.     AMKKIC'AX  CHESTNUT 
LEAF. 


ones  plano-convex.  Shell 
tough  and  leathery,  dark 
brown,  smooth,  or  more  or  less  inverted,  with  a  silvery 
pubescence  from  the  point  downward  ;  variable  in  size 
from  five-eighths  to  an  inch  in  diameter.  Kernel  sweet 
and  fine-grained.  A  very  large  and  common  tree  in  the 
Middle  and  Northern  States,  living  to  a  great  age. 


THE    CHESTNUT. 


89 


FIG.  20.     SPIKE  OF  BURS  OF  BUSH  CHINQUAPIN.       C.  nancf. 


90 


THE   XTT   CULTURIST. 


CASTANRA  NANA  (lush  chinquapin). — Leaves  oval- 
lanceolate,  serrate,  with  feeble  prickles  on  teeth  and  often 

wanting;  pale 
green  above  and 
white  tomentose 
underneath. 
Burs  in  racemes, 
small;  husk 
thin,  opening  by 
two  divisions  or 
lobes,  instead  of 
four,  as  in  the 
last  species; 
spines  short, 
somewhat  scat- 
tering, sessile  or 
very  short-stalk- 
ed ;  nuts  small, 
pointed,  brown, 
smooth,  tliin- 
shelled,  solitary 
or  only  one  in  a 
our.  Kernel 
fine-grained, 
sweet  and  deli- 
cious. Common 
from  North  Car- 
olina southward 
to  Florida,  in 
dry  soils  and 
barrens.  A  me- 

'!        '  '       /    "" 
FIG.  21.     SPIKE  OF  CHINQUAPIN  CHESTNUT  BUR.          *   Um~S1ZeCl 

c.  pumiia.  shrub    or    low- 

spreading  bush,  rarely  reaching  a  hight  of  ten  feet,  the 
slender  twigs  usually  tomentose.  A  spike  of  burs  and 
leaves  of  this  species  are  seen,  in  Fig.  20. 


THE    CHESTNUT. 


91 


CASTA^EA  PUMILA  (chinquapin  chestnut). — Leaves 
oblong-lanceolate,  short  or  acutely  pointed,  coarsely 
serrate,  with  in- 
curved pointed 
teq^h,  green  above, 
tomentose  under- 
neath. Burs  in  ra- 
cemes (Fig.  21), 
two-valved.  Some- 
times the  burs  are 
single,  as  shown  in 
Fig.  22.  Spines 
branching  from  a 
short  stalk ;  nuts 
solitary,  ovoid, 
pointed,  with  dark- 
brown  polished 
shell.  Kernel  fine- 
grained, sweet  and 
excellent.  A  medi- 
um-sized tree  twenty 
to  forty  feet  high ; 
in  rich  soils  from 
New  Jersey,  South- 
e  r  n  Pennsylvania 
and  southward,  to 
Georgia,  and  spar- 
ingly westward  to 
Arkansas. 

CASTANEA  SA- 
TIVA  OB  V  E  S  C  A 
( Eu ropean  chest- 
nut).— Leaves  ob- 

,  ,  FIG.  L'2.     SINGLE  BUR,  NUT  AND    LEAF  OF 

long  -lanceolate,          CHINQUAPIN  CHESTNUT.     C.  pumila. 

pointed,    coarsely  serrate,    with   rather    long    incurved 
spines  on  the  teeth;  smooth  on  both  sides,  but  glossy 


THE   NUT    CULTURIST. 


FIG.  23.     JAPAN  CHESTNUT   LEAF, 


THE    CHESTNUT.  99 

and  dark  green  above ;  thicker  and  of  more  substance 
than  in  any  other  species.  Burs  very  large,  with  thick 
husk,  and  long,  stout,  branching  spines,  from  a  woody 
stem  at  the  base ;  shell  of  nut  thick,  tough  and  leathery, 
of  a  dark  mahogany  brown  ;  kernel  enclosed  in  a  rather 
tough  but  thin  skin  that  is  usually  intensely  bitter,  a 
characteristic  that  readily  distinguishes  this  from  any  of 
our  species.  Trees  of  large  size,  rather  stocky ;  young 
shoots  coarse,  with  smooth  bark;  buds  prominent, 
glossy,  and  of  a  light  yellowish-brown  color. 

CASTANEA  JAPONICA  (Japan  chestnut). — Leaves 
lanceolate-oblong  (Fig.  23),  finely  serrate,  indentations 
shallow,  and  the  teeth  slender  pointed  ;  pale  green  above 
and  silvery  or  rusty  white  underneath.  Burs  with  a 
very  thin  husk ;  spines  short,  widely  branching  from  a 
short  stem.  Nuts  large  to  very  large,  usually  three  in  a 
bur ;  shell  thin,  and  of  a  light  brown  color ;  the  inner 
skin  thin,  fibrous,  but  not  as  bitter  as  in  the  European 
varieties,  and  the  kernel  somewhat  finer  grained  and 
sweeter.  Trees  of  moderate  growth  and  are  said  to  rarely 
exceed  fifty  feet  high  in  Japan.  The  growth  is  slender 
in  comparison  with  the  European  or  American  chestnut, 
and  the  habit  is  decidedly  bushy,  the  new  growth  of  the 
season  usually  prodiicing  a  number  of  lateral  twigs  late 
in  summer.  The  leaves  here  seem  to  be  more  persistent, 
probably  because  the  season  is  not  long  enough  to  insure 
thorough  ripening. 

The  reader  will  please  bear  in  mind  that  this  de- 
scription of  the  Japan  chestnut  is  drawn  from  the  intro- 
duced varieties  or  those  raised  from  the  imported  nuts, 
and  not  from  the  trees  growing  in  their  native  habitats. 
All  the  varieties  that  I  have  seen  appear  to  belong  to 
one  type  or  species,  and  they  come  from  the  warmer 
parts  of  that  country  ;  but  Prof.  Sargent,  in  his  "  Forest 
Flora  of  Japan,"  says  that  while  the  largest  nuts  appear 
in  the  markets  of  Kobe  and  Osaka,  from  whence  they 


94  THE   NUT   CULTURIST. 

come  to  this  country,  there  are  varieties  offered  for  sale 
in  the  markets  of  Aomori,  which  is  much  further  north, 
and  these,  he  thinks,  would  produce  a  more  hardy  race 
of  varieties  than  those  we  have  already  received  from 
that  country.  As  a  race,  all  the  Japan  chestnuts  are 
very  precocious,  the  trees  coming  into  bearing  early 
whether  raised  from  the  nut  or  propagated  by  grafting. 

Native  Varieties.  (Group  One). — While  it  is  well 
known  that  our  American  sweet  chestnut  varies  widely 
in  the  size,  flavor,  form,  color  and  general  appearance  of 
the  nuts,  no  special  effort  has  been  made  to  select  and 
perpetuate  the  most  distinct  and  valuable  varieties. 
This  is  to  be  regretted,  inasmuch  as  the  opportunities 
for  making  such  selections,  and  preserving  and  propa- 
gating those  most  worthy  of  it,  are  rapidly  passing  away 
with  the  destruction  of  our  chestnut  forests ;  but  there 
is  still  time  to  do  something  in  this  direction,  and  per- 
haps save  a  few  varieties  as  valuable  as  those  already 
destroyed.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  every  man  who  knows 
of  a  large  variety,  will  either  propagate  it  himself,  or 
point  it  out  to  some  one  who  is  sufficiently  interested  to 
do  so.  If  proper  attention  was  given  to  the  raising  of 
seedlings,  we  might  soon  secure  many  improved  native 
varieties,  and  I  would  urge  this  mode  of  propagation 
upon  all  whose  circumstances  and  surroundings  will  ad- 
mit of  it,  and  especially  upon  the  young  men  who  pos- 
sess the  talent  and  inclination  to  make  such  experiments  ; 
for  there  is  a  wide  and  fertile  field  open  to  them,  ana 
they  can  scarcely  fail  to  reap  a  rich  reward  for  their 
labors,  if  applied  with  earnestness  and  a  moderate 
amount  of  intelligence. 

BURLESS  CHESTNUT.— This  is  a  peculiar  variety  or 
freak,  in  which  the  burs  are  merely  shallow  cups  upon 
which  the  nuts  rest,  and  at  no  stage  of  their  growth  are 
they  enclosed  in  a  husk  or  bur.  The  nuts  are  small  and 
usually  perfect,  but  being  unprotected  they  are  preyed 


THE     CHESTNUT.  95 

upon  by  birds  and  squirrels  as  soon  as  the  kernels  are 
well  formed,  few  escaping  to  reach  maturity,  This 
chestnut  is  of  no  economic  value,  but  is  worth  preserv- 
ing as  an  illustration  of  extremes  in  variation.  The 
original  tree  was  found  in  the  forest  near  Freehold, 
Green  Co.,  N.  Y.,  by  Mr.  Harry  Bagley,  to  whom  I  am 
indebted  for  cions  sent  me  in  the  spring  of  1885. 
Another  and  very  similar  variety  was  found  about  the 
same  time  on  Staten  Island,  N.  Y.,  and  this  also  has 
been  propagated,  to  a  limited  extent,  as  a  curiosity. 

HATHAWAY. — A  very  large  and  handsome  native 
variety,  and  one  of  the  very  best.  A  strong  and  vigorous 
grower,  and  productive.  Raised  by  Mr.  B.  Hathaway, 
the  veteran  and  widely  known  pomologist  of  Little 
Prairie  Ronde,  Mich.  Some  thirty  years  ago  Mr.  Hath- 
away purchased  a  half  bushel  of  native  chestnuts  of  a> 
dealer  in  Ohio,  and  from  these  raised  a  large  number  of 
trees  for  sale ;  but  a  few  were  reserved  for  planting  out 
on  his  own  grounds,  and  when  these  came  into  bearing 
the  one  named  here  was  selected  for  propagation,  because 
of  its  large  size  and  productiveness. 

PHILLIPS. — A  large  and  handsome  variety  of  excel- 
lent flavor,  with  a  very  smooth,  dark-brown  shell. 
Grafted  trees  exceedingly  vigorous,  upright  growth,  as 
well  as  precocious  and  productive.  The  original  tree  is 
growing  in  the  grounds  of  the  late  Whitman  Phillips,  at 
Ridgewood,  N.  J.  Several  years  ago  my  attention  was 
called  to  a  number  of  large  varieties  of  the  chestnut 
growing  in  and  near  the  village,  and  from  these  I  ob- 
tained cions  for  propagation ;  but  I  name  only  one  at 
this  time,  reserving  the  others  until  more  fully  tested. 

This  is  rather  an  insignificant  number  of  varieties 
to  be  named  among  the  many  hundreds  that  are  to  be 
found  in  almost  every  town  or  neighborhood  where  the 
chestnut  is  a  native,  and  yet  I  have  been  able  to  find 
only  one  named  in  nurserymen's  catalogues  as  being 


96  THE   KTT   CULTUEIST. 

propagated  by  grafting.  It  is  true  that  nearly  all  deal- 
ers in  trees  offer  seedling  American  chestnuts,  which 
may  mean  good,  bad  or  indifferent  varieties  when  the 
trees  come  into  bearing.  Among  all  of  the  many  thou- 
sands that  have  been  raised  and  planted  in  the  East  and 
West,  beyond  the  natural  range  of  the  chestnut,  as,  for 
instance,  in  Missouri,  Kansas  and  Iowa,  there  must  be 
some  distinct  and  valuable  varieties  worthy  of  names 
and  propagation.  There  are  not  only  distinct  varieties 
to  be  found  in  every  forest,  but  in  some  instances  the 
entire  product  of  an  extended  area  of  country  are  dis- 
tinct in  their  color,  size,  and  general  appearance  of  the 
nuts  produced ;  as,  for  instance,  in  the  woolly  chestnuts 
of  the  Piedmont  district  of  Virginia,  these  being  so 
nearly  covered  with  a  white  down  that  they  remind  one 
of  popcorn.  Hundreds  of  bushels  of  these  woolly  chest- 
nuts come  to  our  markets,  and  among  them  I  have  often 
found  very  large  specimens,  but  so  far  as  known,  no 
effort  has  been  made  to  perpetuate  them. 

So  far  as  can  now  be  determined,  the  wild  or  orig- 
inal European  chestnut  was  much  inferior  in  its  flavor, 
and  little,  if  any,  larger  than  our  American  sweet  chest- 
nut ;  but  by  continued  selections  of  the  largest  for  plant- 
ing, and  propagation  by  grafting,  it  has  attained  to  its 
present  size  and  excellence ;  but  this  system  of  improv- 
ing our  native  varieties  has  scarcely,  as  yet,  been  at- 
tempted, a  fact  which  does  not,  in  the  least,  redound  to 
our  credit. 

BUSH  CHINQUAPIN  (C.  nana.  Muhlenberg). —  Of 
this  I  do  not  know  of  any  named  varieties  in  cultivation. 
Plants  are  occasionally  seen  in  cultivated  grounds,  and  I 
have  one  in  my  garden  growing  in  a  sheltered  position, 
where  it  has  fruited  for  several  years.  It  is  a  pretty, 
round-headed,  silvery-leaved  bush,  about  six  feet  high ; 
ornamental,  if  not  specially  valuable  for  other  purposes, 
although*  the  little  sweet  nuts  are  always  acceptable.  As 


THE     CHESTNUT. 


97 


a  rule,  the  seedlings  of  this  species  are  not  hardy  in  the 
Northern  States,  but  an  occasional  one  will  survive  if 
planted  in  a  light,  porous  soil  and  a  protected  situation. 

COMMON"  CHINQUAPIN  (C.  pumila.  Miller). — This 
is  a  small  tree,  sometimes  thirty  to  forty  feet  high ; 
found  sparingly  as  far  north  as  central  New  Jersey,  and 
on  Long  Island.  It  is  more  common  in  cultivation  than 
the  bush  chinquapin,  probably  because  more  hardy  and 
better  known,  but  I  do  not  know  of  any  improved  varie- 
ties that  have  been  disseminated  under  distinct  names 
except  the  one  hereinafter  described. 

Among  many  seedlings  raised,  of  this  species,  I  have 
selected  one  which  good  judges  of  such  things  have 
thought  worthy  of  propagation,  and  as  I  do  not  raise 
plants  for  sale,  no 
one  will  be  likely 
to  accuse  me  of 
having  any  selfish 
motives,  further 
than  a  pardonable 
pride  in  producing 
something  worthy 
of  perpetuation. 
Furthermore,  a  s 
an  earnest  of  my 
confidence  in  its 
merits,  I  have  dis- 
tributed it  under 
my  own  name. 

FULLER'S 
CHINQUAPIN". — 
Leaves  large, 
broadly  oval,  pointed,  coarsely  serrate,  pale  green  above, 
clear  silvery  white  below.  Bark  on  main  stem  ;  branches 
and  twigs  smooth,  light  gray,  with  numerous  white 
dots.  The  young  twigs  thick  and  stocky,  cylindrical, 
7 


FIG.  24.     BUKS  OF  FULLER'S  CHINQUAPIN. 
OXE-HALF   NATURAL    SIZE. 


98 


THE   NUT   CULTURIST. 


with  moderately  prominent,  grayish  buds.  Burs  in  long 
racemes  (Fig.  24),  very  large  for  this  species ;  spines 
long,  strong,  branching  and  sharp.  Nuts  only  one  in 
each  bur,  rather  short,  broad,  top-shaped,  with  blunt 
point ;  shell  very  smooth,  glossy,  almost  black ;  kernel 
fine-grained  and  sweet.  Ripens  early,  or  with  the  earli- 
est of  the  native  sweet  chestnuts.  The  original  tree  is 


FIG.  25.     FULLER'S  CHINQUAPIN.     FIVE  YEARS  OLD  FROM  NUT. 

only  six  years  old,  twice  transplanted,  and  is  now  ten 
feet  high,  with  a  head  fully  as  broad,  and  as  shown  in 
Fig.  25.  Although  growing  in  a  rather  exposed  posi- 
tion, it  has  never  been  injured  by  low  temperature  in 
winter  or  a  high  one  in  summer.  It  has  thus  far  been 
the  most  rapid-growing  chestnut  tree  in  my  grounds, 
although  given  no  special  care.  Whether  it  will  eventu- 
ally become  a  large  tree,  or  soon  cease  to  extend,  is,  of 


THE    CHESTNUT.  99 

course,  a  question  to  be  answered  at  some  future  time, 
but  from  present  indications  this  tree  will  be  well  worthy 
of  cultivation  as  an  ornamental  shade  tree,  even  if  we 
leave  out  of  the  account  its  rapid  growth,  productive- 
ness, and  delicious  little  nuts,  which  will  be  very  accept- 
able for  home  use,  if  not  possessing  any  great  commer- 
cial value. 

European  Varieties. — In  the  use  of  this  term  I 
wish  it  understood  that  the  varieties  named  and  described 
in  this  group  are  all  of  American  origin  ;  that  is,  raised 
in  this  country  from  seed.  At  the  same  time  they  are- 
descendants  of  the  European  species.  They  are,  in  other- 
words,  "  Survivals  of  the  fittests,"  the  few  that  have 
survived  the  many  being  raised  from  imported  nuts  (per- 
haps one  out  of  a  thousand)  that  tests  and  time  have  shown 
were  adapted  to  our  climate.  There  may  be  many  other 
varieties  scattered  about  the  country  which  are  worthy 
of  a  name  and  of  propagation,  but  I  can  speak  only  of 
those  I  have  been  able  to  procure,  or  that  have  been 
brought  to  my  notice. 

In  describing  the  following  varieties,  and  in  seeking 
to  get  at  the  facts  relating  to  their  origin,  name  and 
history,  the  reader  will  please  bear  in  mind  that  there 
has  been  no  previous  attempt  to  arrange  or  classify  these 
semi-American  varieties.  Furthermore,  there  is  much 
confusion  in  regard  to  the  true  names  of  a  number  of 
them,  and  the  most  I  can  say  is  that  I  have  endeavored, 
under  the  circumstances,  to  get  as  near  the  truth  as  pos- 
sible. Could  I  defer  writing  this  chapter  ten  years,  some 
moot  points  might  be  cleared  up,  but  as  this  is  out  of 
the  question  I  must  follow  the  light  already  in  my 
possession. 

To  Mr.  John  R.  Parry,  of  Parry,  N.  J.,  I  am  greatly 
indebted,  not  only  for  specimens  of  new  and  rare  varie- 
ties, but  also  nates  relating  to  the  history  of  several  of 
the  older  ones. 


100  THE   NUT   CULTURIST. 

COMFORT. — Burs  very  large,  broad,  somewhat  flat- 
tened ;  spines  very  strong  and  long,  branching ;  nuts 
very  broad,  with  short  point,  and  shell  covered  from 
base  to  point  with  scattering  silky  hairs,  thicker  at  upper 
end.  In  quality,  about  the  same  as  in  the  ordinary  vari- 
eties of  the  species,  but  to  some  persons'  taste  it  is  bet- 
ter, having  less  astringency  in  the  skin  surrounding  the 
kernel.  Origin  uncertain,  but  said  to  have  been  grown 
for  many  years  at  Germantown,  a  suburb  of  Philadelphia, 
Pa.,  where  the  Paragon  chestnut  was  discovered.  The 
Comfort  certainly  closely  resembles  the  Paragon,  but  1 
have  not  had  an  opportunity  of  fruiting  trees  under  the 
two  names  side  by  side,  as  would  be  necessary  to  deter- 
mine their  identity  or  difference,  if  they  are  really 
distinct. 

COOPER. — A  very  large  variety;  has  been  in  cultiva- 
tion for  several  years  in  Camden  Co.,  N.  J.,  but  up  to 
the  present  time  the  trees  have  not  been  propagated  for 
sale,  although  I  am  informed  by  Mr.  John  E.  Parry 
that  there  are  a  large  number  under  cultivation.  The 
tree  is  described  as  of  a  broad  spreading  habit,  with 
enormously  large  leaves,  and  immensely  productive. 
Nuts  very  large,  smooth  and  glossy,  with  little  fuzz 
near  the  top.  In  quality  they  may  be  considered  excel- 
lent for  a  variety  of  this  class.  The  burs  are  very  large, 
and  this  is  its  greatest  or  only  fault ;  for  when  nearly 
mature  they  absorb  and  retain  such  a  quantity  of  water 
during  heavy  rains,  in  addition  to  the  original  weight 
and  the  enclosed  nuts,  that  the  trees  are  liable  to  be 
broken  down  bv  strong  winds. 

J  O 

CORSON. — Burs  of  immense  size  ;  spines  an  inch  or 
more  in  length,  from  a  stout,  woody,  irregularly  branch- 
ing stem,  resting  on  the  moderately  thin  husk.  Nuts 
extra  large,  usually  three  in  a  bur ;  shell  dark  brown, 
somewhat  ridged ;  the  upper  end  or  point  of  the  shell 
densely  covered  with  a  white,  almost  woolly,  pubescence, 


THE    CHESTNUT. 


101 


or  fuzz  as  it  is  usually  termed.  This  is  a  remarkably 
large  and  fine  variety  and  of  good  quality.  Originated 
with  Mr.  Walter  H.  Corson,  Plymouth  Meeting,  Mont- 
gomery Co.,  Pa. 

DAGER. — A  large  variety  originated  near  Wyoming, 
Delaware,  from  seed  of  the  Ridgely.  My  specimen  trees 
are  good  vigorous  growers,  and  hardy,  but  have  not,  as 


FIG.  26.     BUR  OF  NUMBO  CHESTNUT. 

yet,  produced  fruit.     It  is  said  that  the  nuts  are  of  fair 
quality,  but  not  as  good  as  the  best  of  its  class. 

MONCUR. — Another  seedling  of  the  Ridgely,  raised 
on  the  farm  of  Mr.  Frank  Moncur,  near  Dover,  Del. 
The  original  tree  is  about  thirty  years  old.  Described 
as  smaller  than  its  parent,  but  of  better  quality. 


102 


THE   .NUT   CULT  CRIST. 


NUMBO. — Burs  medium,  and  distinctly  long  pointed 
before  opening,  as  shown  in  Fig.  26,  the  four  divisions  of 
the  burs  extending  an  inch  or  more  beyond  the  nut  as 

they  open.  This  is  an 
exceptional  form  of 
the  bur,  and  will  ena- 
ble almost  any  person 
to  recognize  the  vari- 
ety with  bearing  trees. 
Spines  only  medium 
in  length  (Fig.  27), 
FIG.  27.  SPINES  OF  NUMBo  CHESTNUT,  and  not  as  strong  as  in 
most  other  varieties  of  this  species.  Nuts  very  large 
(Fig.  28),  smooth,  decidedly  pointed,  light  brown  when 
first  mature,  and  of  good  fla- 
vor. Tree  hardy  and  a  vig- 
orous, free  grower,  and  is 
very  productive  even  when 
young.  The  original  tree  is 
now  some  forty  years  old, 
and  is  one  of  a  large  number 
raised  from  imported  nuts, 
by  the  late  Mahlon  Moon,  of 
Morrisville,  Pa. 

MILLER'S  DUPONT. — 
Burs  large,  spines  long  and      FIG.  28.  NUMBO  CHESTNUT. 
strong  but  not  as  stout  as  in  some  of  the  closely  related 
varieties.     Nut  medium,  and  kernel  of  fair  quality.     A 
promising  variety.     Origin  unknown.      Eeceived  from 
Jos.  Evans,  Delaware  Co.,  Pa. 

PARAGON. — Burs  of  immense  size,  often  five  inches 
and  more  in  lateral  diameter ;  distinctly  flattened  on  the 
top,  or  cushion  shape  (Fig.  29) ;  spines  an  inch  in 
length,  widely  and  irregularly  branching  from  a  stout 
stem  springing  from  a  thick,  fleshy  husk,  as  shown  in 
Tig.  30,  the  whole  making  an  involucre  or  bur  out  of 


THE     CHESTXUT. 


103 


proportion   to   the   nuts  within.      Nuts   of  large   size, 
slightly  depressed  at  the  top  (Fig.   31),  and  they  are 


FIG.  29.    PARAGON  CHESTNUT  BUR.    (One-half  natural 'size.) 

usually  broader   than    long ;    shell   very   dark    brown, 
slightly  ridged,  and  covered  with  a  fine  but  not  very 


FIG.  30.     SPIKES  OF  PARAGON  CHESTNUT  BUR. 

conspicuous  pubescence.      Kernel   sweet,    fine-grained, 
and  of  superior  flavor  for  one  of  this  species.    Tree  hardy, 


104  THE   XUT    CULTURIST. 

exceedingly  precocious  and  productive  when  grafted  on 
strong,  healthy  stock.  A  four-year-old  tree  on  my 
grounds  is  shown  in  Fig.  32.  It  was  loaded  with  nuts 
in  the  fall  of  1894.  This  is  one  of  the  best  of  its  class. 
Origin  somewhat  in  doubt,  but  it;  is  claimed  that  the 
late  W.  L.  Shaffer,  of  Philadelphia,  raised  it  from  a  for- 
eign nut  planted  in  his  garden,  and  who,  some  eighteen 
years  or  more  ago,  gave  cions  to  W.  H.  Engle,  of 

Marietta,  Pa.  Mr.  Engle 
has  since  propagated  and 
disseminated  this  variety 
quite  extensively  under  its 
present  name,  but  should 
further  investigation  prove 
it  to  be  distinct  and  that 
it"  was  raised  by  Mr.  Shaf- 
fer, then  it  should  certain- 
£-=="  ly  bear  his  name,  and  Par- 
agon become  a  synonym. 
FIG.  si.  PARAGON  CHESTNUT.  ^o  more  appropriate  mon- 
ument could  possibly  be  erected  in  honor  of  a  distin- 
guished horticulturist  like  the  late  Mr.  Shaffer,  than  a 
chestnut  tree,  nor  could  his  memory  be  perpetuated 
under  more  pleasant  and  agreeable  surroundings  than 
to  have  his  name  linked  inseparably  with  such  an  excel- 
lent and  valuable  variety. 

EIDGELY. — Burs  large,  with  dense  spines,  but  not 
as  long  as  those  of  the  Paragon.  Nuts  large,  pointed  ; 
shell  dark  brown,  with  very  little  pubescence,  and  this 
mainly  at  the  point  (Fig.  33).  In  quality  this  variety 
ranks  very  near,  if  not  the  equal  of,  the  best  of  its  class, 
and  it  has  been  highly  commended,  by  those  who  have 
been  acquainted  with  it,  for  many  years. 

The  origin  of  the  Eidgely,  as  recorded,  leaves  the 
question  of  name  a  debatable  one.  Some  sixty  years 
ago  a  Mr.  Dupont,  of  Wilmington,  Del.,  gave  or  sent  to 


THE     CHESTKUT. 


105 


Mr.  D.  M.  Kidgely,  of  Dover,  Del.,  a  sprouted  chest- 
nut, and  this  was  planted  and  became  the  original  tree 
of  the  variety  under  consideration.  It  has  been  called 
Dupont,  because  he  raised  the  nut  and  kept  it  over  win- 
ter and  until  it  sprouted  ;  then  it  passed  into  the  care  of 


FIG.  32.  FOUR  YEAR  OLD  PARAGON  CHESTNUT  TREE. 

Mr.  Eidgely,  who  thenceforward  gave  it  his  attention. 
The  tree  is  now  of  immense  size,  and  some  seasons  has 
produced  more  than  five  bushels  of  nuts,  selling  at  eleven 
dollars  per  busheL  It  is  quite  probable  that  the  Dupont 


106 


THE   NUT   CULTURIST. 


family  were  the  first  to  raise  European  chestnut  trees  to 
a  bearing  size  in  this  country,  for  some  of  its  members 
were  settled  in  Delaware  before  the  war  of  the  Revolu- 
tion. Pierre  Samuel  Dupont  de  Nemours,  during  the 
French  ministry  of  Vergennes,  was  employed  in  form- 
ing the  treaty  of  1783,  in  which  the  independence  of  the 
United  States  was  formally  recognized  by  England.  In 


FIG.  33.     OPEN  BUR  OF  THE  RIDGELY  CHESTNUT. 

1795  (Am.  encyclopedia)  he  came  to  this  country  and 
joined  his  sons,  who  had  become  successful  manufactur- 
ers of  gunpowder  at  or  near  Wilmington,  Del.,  where 
their  descendants,  or  at  least  some  of  them,  are  still  en- 
gaged in  the  same  business.  If  any  of  the  old  and  orig- 
inal chestnut  trees  have  escaped  the  numerous  "po»der 


THE    CHESTNUT.  107 

mill  explosions"  which  have  frequently  occurred  in  that 
neighborhood,  they  are  probably  much  older  than  the 
Eidgely.  I  am  also  inclined  to  believe  that  a  very  large 
majority  of  all  the  hardy  chestnut  trees  of  the  European 
species  scattered  about  the  country  are  the  direct  de- 
scendants of  the  old  Dupont  stock. 

SCOTT. — Burs  large,  with  long  branching  spines. 
Nuts  from  the  original  tree,  as  received  the  past  season, 
are  only  of  medium  size,  but  said  to  be  much  larger  on 
younger  trees.  Shell  dark  brown,  smooth,  with  a  little 
fuzz  around  the  point.  As  my  specimen  tree  has  not, 
as  yet,  fruited,  I  am  unable  to  say  anything  of  its  pro- 
ductiveness from  personal  experience,  but  in  a  note  from 
Mr.  William  Parry,  under  date  of  Oct.  15,  1894,  he 
says  :  "I  send  specimens  of  the  Scott  chestnuts,  grown 
by  Judge  Scott,  of  Burlington,  X.  J.  The  crop  is  about 
gone  and  it  was  with  difficulty  I  could  get  these,  which 
are  about  the  average  size ;  earlier  in  the  season  many 
are  larger.  Judge  Scott  has  grown  these  nuts  for  mar- 
ket several  years.  The  original  tree  was  bought  by  his 
father  many  years  ago  from  the  nursery  of  Thomas 
Hancock.  He  bought  three  trees  for  Spanish  chest- 
nuts, planted  them  in  a  row  about  thirty  feet  apart,  and 
the  one  from  which  these  nuts  were  obtained  happened 
to  be  in  the  middle.  It  is  now  a  large  tree,  the  trunk 
about  five  feet  in  diameter.  It  is  a  regular  and  heavy 
bearer.  Judge  Scott  has  propagated  and  planted  an 
orchard  from  this  variety,  and  claims  among  its  impor- 
tant features,  large  size  and  early  bearing, — two-year 
grafts  generally  produce  nuts ;  immense  productiveness 
and  good  quality;  beautiful,  glossy,  mahogany  color;  free- 
dom from  fuzz,  and  an  almost  entire  exemption  from  the 
attacks  of  the  chestnut  weevil.  While  the  crop  of  two 
trees  standing  on  either  side  of  the  Scott  is  badly  dam- 
aged by  worms,  it  is  the  exception  to  find  a  wormy  nut 
among  the  Scott. 


108  THE   XUT   CULTUKIST. 

"The  crop -sells  readily  at  ten  to  twelve  dollars  per 
bushel.  This  year  (1894)  some  sold  as  low  as  eight  dol- 
lars, the  lowest  ever  known  for  this  variety." 

STYER. — Burs  large,  round  ;  spines  long,  branching, 
but  not  as  coarse  as  those  of  Comfort.  Nuts  medium  to 
large,  decidedly  pointed,  and  the  point  fuzzy.  Shell 
dark  browir,  with  a  few  longitudinal  stripes,  but  not 
ridged.  A  handsome  nut  of  good  quality.  This  variety 
has  been  distributed  under  the  name  of  Hannum.  The 
original  tree,  which  is  a  mammoth  in  size,  is  still  stand- 
ing on  the  farm  of  a  Mr.  Hannum,  near  Concordville, 
Delaware  Co.,  Penn.  But  Mr.  T.  Walter  Styer,  of  the 
same  place,  is  propagating  and  introducing  it  as  the 
Styer. 

Some  of  the  varieties  in  this  group  may  not  prove 
to  be  distinct,  and  later  they  will  be  relegated  to  their 
proper  place  as  synonyms,  but  1  have  thought  it  best  to 
record  them  by  the  names  under  which  they  have  been 
received.  In  writing  these  descriptions  I  have  had  the 
nuts  and  leaves  before  me,  but  there  may  be  characters 
overlooked  which  will  become  more  conspicuous  as  the 
grafted  trees  become  older  and  more  mature.  The 
Dager  chestnut,  from  Delaware,  is  a  promising  variety, 
disseminated  through  the  Department  of  Agriculture, 
but  as  I  have  not  seen  the  nuts  at  this  writing,  a  descrip- 
tion is  necessarily  omitted. 

Among  the  French  varieties  of  this  species  which 
are  said  to  succeed  admirably  in  California,  a  large  pro- 
portion would  probably  do  equally  well  in  Delaware  and 
further  south.  Among  those  worthy  of  trial  I  may 
name  the  Avant  Chataiyne,  Comale,  Exalade,  Green 
of  Lemousin,  Grosse  Precoce,  Jaune  Rousse,  Lyons, 
Merle,  Nouzillard,  Quercy,  etc.  I  have  tried  some  of 
these,  but  with  such  indifferent  results  that  they  were 
abandoned.  Cultivators  of  nut  trees  located  in  a  milder 
climate,  should  take  advantage  of  whatever  improve- 


THE    CHESTNUT.  109 

ments  there  have  been  made  in  Europe,  by  importing 
grafted  trees  or  cions.  There  are  a  few  ornamental  vari- 
eties of  the  European  chestnut,  but  none  worthy  of  any 
special  attention. 

JAPAN  CHESTNUTS. — The  first  authentic  account  I 
have  been  able  to  find  of  the  introduction  of  ttye  Japan 
chestnut  into  this  country,  is  of  a  number  of  trees  re- 
ceived by  S.  B.  Parsons  &  Co.,  Flushing,  N.  Y.,  1876, 
from  the  late  Thos.  Hogg,  who,  as  is  well  known  to  all 
horticulturists,  spent  several  years  in  Japan  collecting 
many  rare  kinds  of  trees  and  shrubs,  which  were  shipped 
direct  to  Parsons  &  Co.  The  chestnut  trees  received  in 
1876  fruited  two  years  later,  or  in  1878,  and  soon  attracted 
attention,  on  account  of  the  large  size  and  excellent 
quality  of  the  nuts  and  the  precocious  habits  of  the  trees. 

The  success  of  this  typical  variety  of  the  Japanese 
species,  as  I  have  assumed  to  designate  it,  proved  that 
there  were  oriental  chestnuts — heretofore  untested  in 
this  country — that  were  certainly  worthy  of  an  attempt 
to  obtain.  This  variety,  introduced  by  the  Messrs. 
Parsons  &  Co.,  does  not  appear  to  have  been  dissemi- 
nated under  any  distinct  varietal  name,  but  merely  bears 
the  rather  meaningless  one  of  Japan  chestnut,  and 
for  the  purpose  of  giving  it  a  position  where  it  may  be 
recognized — by  name  at  least — from  other  varieties  more 
recently  introduced,  I  shall  take  the  liberty  of  calling  it 
" Parsons'  Japan." 

Soon  after  it  became  known  that  the  oriental  chest- 
nuts would  succeed  in  this  country,  the  fruit  growers 
and  nurserymen  of  California  began  to  import  and  plant 
these  nuts,  shipping  an  occasional  lot  to  their  customers 
in  the  Eastern  States,  and  from  these  hundreds  of  seed- 
lings have  been  raised  and  distributed,  under  the  gen- 
eral name  of  Japan  chestnut.  Among  the  nuts  imported 
there  are  some  of  extraordinary  size,  even  larger  than 
anything  of  the  kind  obtained  from  Europe,  as  shown 


110 


THE   NUT   CULTUKIST. 


in  Fig.  34,  natural  size,  and  from  a  specimen  received 
direct  from  Japan.  Some  of  the  nurserymen  who  have 
secured  these  very  large  nuts  for  planting,  offer  the 

seedlings  raised 
therefrom  under 
such  names  as 
Mammoth  and 
Giant  Japan, but 
as  there  is  no 
certainty,  and 
scarcely  a  prob- 
ability, that  such 
seedlings  will 
produce  nuts  as 
large  as  those 

FIG.  34.     JAPAN.  GIANT  CHESTNUT.  planted,         tll6 

names  are  rather  misleading,  although  proper  enough  if 
given  to  grafted  varieties  of  large  size.  When  an  extra- 
fine  variety  is  produced  from  the  nut,  it  should,  of 
course,  be  preserved  and  propagajbed  in  the  usual  way. 

The  late  Wm.  Parry,  of  Parry,  N.  J.,  was  one  of 
the  first  nurserymen  to  attempt  to  produce  new  varieties 
of  the  Japan  chestnut  in  this  country,  and  his  sons  have 
continued  his  experi- 
ments in  this  direction. 
Others  may  have  been 
equally  successful,  but  I 
have  been  unable  to  ob- 
tain any  satisfactory  re- 
ports from  those  to 
whom  I  have  applied  for  FIG-  35-  SPINES  OF  JAPAN  CHESTNUT. 
information ;  consequently,  I  can  only  say  that  the  fol- 
lowing, with  few  exceptions,  originated  at  the  Wm. 
Parry  nurseries : 

ADVANCE  (Parry). — Burs  medium,  slightly  flattened 
on  top;  spines  medium,  short,  almost  sessile,  as  shown 


THE    CHESTNUT.  Ill 

in  Fig.  35,  and  this  is  a  characteristic  of  all  the  Japan 
chestnuts;  branching  and  widely  separated  on  a  very 
thin  husk.  Nuts  very  large  ;  shell  a  light  yellowish 
brown,  with  a  few  slight  darker  streaks  from  base  to 
apex.  Quality  excellent  for  brie  of  this  species.  Ripens 
early,  and  long  before  touched  by  frost. 

ALPHA  (Parry). — Very  similar  to  the  last,  but 
ripens  earlier,  which  would  be  an  advantage  in  some 
localities.  Tree  vigorous  and  productive. 

BETA  (Parry). — Bur  medium;  spines  rather  long 
and  thin  for  one  of  this  group,  set  on  a  thin  husk.  Nut 
large  ;  shell  light  brown,  smooth,  with  a  slight  trace  of 
pubescence  near  the  tip.  The  leaves  are  shallow  and 
coarsely  serrate,  and  on  some  the  teeth  or  serratures  are 
entirely  wanting.  Eipens  a  little  later  than  the  Alpha, 
or  about  the  first  of  October  in  northern  New  Jersey. 

EAELY  RELIANCE  (Parry). — Burs  medium,  with 
short,  almost  deflexed  spines,  on  an  exceedingly  thin 
husk.  Nuts  large,  more  pointed  than  in  the  last,  and 
of  a  lighter  color  the  past  season,  but  this  may  not  be 
constant,  and  may  be  due  to  the  long  and  severe  drouth 
of  the  summer  of  1894.  Usually  three  nuts  in  a  bur,  and 
sometimes  four  or  five,  but  I  do  not  consider  this  in- 
crease in  number  a  merit  in  any  variety,  for  where  there 
are  more  than  three  they  are  likely  to  be  of  small  size 
and  very  much  deformed.  The  original  tree  of  the  Re- 
liance is  enormously  productive,  and  a  regular  bearer. 

FELTON. — A  seedling  of  the  common  Japanese 
chestnut,  raised  by  J.  W.  Killen,  of  Felton,  Delaware. 

GIANT  JAPAN  (Parry). — Burs  large  to  extra  large 
for  a  variety  of  this  species,  with  medium  low  branching 
spines  on  a  very  thin,  parchment-like  husk.  Nuts  extra 
large,  usually  only  two  in  a  bur,  often  only  one,  and 
about  two  inches  broad,  much  depressed  at  the  top,  with 
a  short  point  set  in  an  irregular  depression  or  basin. 
Shell  dark  mahogany  color,  more  or  less  ribbed ;  kernel 


112  THE   NUT   CULTUBIST. 

coarse  grained,  as  is  usual  in  the  extra  large  varieties  of 
nearly  all  species  of  the  chestnut.  This  is  probably  the 
largest  variety  of  the  Japanese  chestnut  raised  in  this 
country,  of  which  grafted  trees  are  obtainable  at  this 
time.  There  may  be  others  equally  as  large,  but  if  so 
they  are  unknown  to  the  writer. 

KILLED. — Of  the  Japan  species,  and  described  as 
very  large,  the  nuts  over  two  inches  in  diameter  and  of 
fair  quality.  Raised  by  J.  W.  Killen,  of  Felton,  Del. 

PARSONS'  JAPAN. — Burs  medium,  with  rather  thick- 
set and  long  spines.  Nuts  large,  one  inch  and  a  half 
broad,  curving  regularly  to  a  point;  shell  smooth, 
almost  glossy,  brown,  with  faint  stripes  of  a  darker  shade 
extending  from  base  to  apex.  In  quality  the  kernel  is 
far  better  than  most  of  the  European  varieties,  being 
finer  grained  and  sweeter.  When  grafted  on  strong 
stocks  the  trees  come  into  bearing  early,  or  in  two  or 
three  years.  This  is  the  best  known,  and  probably  the 
most  widely  distributed  variety,  of  the  Japanese  species 
in  this  country,  having  been  introduced,  as  I  have  stated 
.  elsewhere,  in  1876. 

PARRY'S  SUPERB  (Parry). — Burs  broad,  cushion- 
shaped,  or  much  flattened  on  top,  with  extra  long, 
widely  branching  spines  from  single  or  multiple  stems, 
very  much  as  in  the  European  varieties.  But  the  thin 
husk,  the  nuts,  and  the  growth  of  tree,  wood  and  leaves, 
stamp  it  as  a  pure  Japanese  variety.  Nuts  large,  broader 
than  long,  with  a  decided  sharp  woody  point;  almost 
entirely  destitute  of  even  a  sign  of  pubescence.  A  very 
promising  and  distinct  variety. 

SUCCESS  (Parry). — Burs  very  large,  broad,  with 
only  a  few  short,  scattering,  branching  spines  on  the 
top,  thicker  toward  the  base  ;  on  a  thin,  parchment-like 
husk,  and  this  is  so  thin  that  it  sometimes  cracks  open 
and  exposes  the  nuts  within  before  they  are  fully  ripe. 
Nuts  extra  large,  nearly  equal  to  the  Giant,  but  of  a 


THE     CHESTNUT.  113 

more  regular  and  symmetrical  form,  being  nearly  as  long 
as  broad,  tapering  to  a  point.  Shell  smooth,  dark 
brown,  with  a  slight  pubescence  about  the  point.  Usu- 
ally three  nuts  in  a  bur ;  an  ideal  variety  in  every  respect. 

There  is  a  variety  of  the  Japan  chestnut  recently 
much  lauded  under  the  name  of  Mammoth  or  Burbank, 
which  is  said  to  be  of  immense  size,  and  as  sweet  as  the 
common  American  chestnut. 

Injurious  Insects. — The  chestnut  tree  is  rarely 
attacked  by  insects.  It  is  true  that  grubs  may  occasion- 
ally be  found  boring  into  the  wood  or  cutting  sinuous 
burrows  under  the  bark,  but  this  is  mainly  in  trees  weak- 
ened by  exposure,  in  removing  protecting  companions, 
as  when  removing  forests,  or  by  plowing  up  and  destroy- 
ing the  roots,  in  cultivating  the  land  about  them ;  but 
the  attacks  of  insects  upon  such  specimens  is  nature's 
way  of  getting  rid  of  the  feeble  and  least  valuable,  mak- 
ing room  for  the  healthy  and  strong.  But  my  thirty 
years'  residence  in  a  chestnut  grove  leads  me  to  think 
that  this  nut  tree  is  exceedingly  free  from  wood  borers 
of  any  kind. 

Entomologists,  however,  have  noted  several  instances 
of  insect  depredations  upon  individual  trees,  by  a  few 
species  of  the  longhorn  beetles,  three  or  four  in  all,  but 
these  occur  so  rarely  that  they  are  scarcely  worthy  of 
notice  as  pests  of  the  chestnut.  There  are  also  several 
species  of  caterpillars  occasionally  found  feeding  on  the 
leaves  of  this  tree,  also  some  sucking  bugs  or  tree  hop- 
pers, and  two  or  three  kinds  of  plant  lice,  but  none  of 
these  have,  as  yet,  become  at  all  formidable  enemies,  or 
likely  to  become  so  later.  But  the  chestnut  has  one 
enemy  which  is  so  abundant  and  destructive  to  the  nuts 
as  to  call  for  an  extended  notice.  I  refer  to  the  common 
native  chestnut  weevil  (Balaninus  car y tripes,  Boheman). 
The  little  fat,  white,  round,  legless  grubs,  nearly  or  quite 
a  half-inch  long,  must  be  familiar  to  every  person  who 
8 


114  THE   XUT   CULTURIST. 

has  handled  or  eaten  chestnuts  raised  in  this  country, 
whether  of  the  exotic  or  native  varieties.  The  parents 
of  this  grub  are  oval-shaped  beetles  about  one-half  inch 
long  or  less  ;  wing  covers,  body  and  legs  densely  covered 
with  a  short  yellow  down,  and  from  the  front  or  thorax 
there  extends  a  long,  slightly  curved,  slender  snout  (Fig. 
36),  sometimes  nearly  an  inch  in  length  in  the  females, 
but  usually  less  in  the  males.  The  mouth  parts  are  at 
the  extreme  end  of  this  snout  or  proboscis,  and  the  fe- 
male, with  her  mandibles,  it  is  claimed,  reaches  down 
among  the  chestnut  spines  and  gnaws  a  hole 
in  the  husk,  into  which  she  drops  an  egg ; 
and  when  this  hatches,  the  minute  grub  cuts 
its  way  through  the  green  husk  and  into  the 
nut,  the  hole  made  in.  its  progress  closing 
up  behind,  leaving  no  mark  or  scar.  Al- 
though I  have  taken  hundreds  of  these  wee- 
vils on  chestnut  trees,  I  never  have  been  so 

FIG  36.    CHEST- ^°r^UIia^e    aS    *°  ^6     OTie  ^    ^6    aC^    °^    OV^" 

NUT  WEEVIL,  positing,  but  have  come  so  near  it  as  to  find 
the  ovipositor  still  extended  as  the  insect  crawled  out 
from  among  the  spines. 

The  chestnut  weevil  usually  appears  in  great  num- 
bers soon  after  the  trees  bloom  in  spring,  but  they  con- 
tinue to  come  out  all  through  the  summer;  I  have 
occasionally  found  them  late  in  September,  which  prob- 
ably accounts  for  finding  small  and  half-grown  grubs  in 
the  nuts  as  they  ripen  and  fall  from  the  trees.  These 
late  grubs  often  remain  in  the  nuts  all  winter,  but  the. 
greater  part  escape  earlier,  or  very  soon  after  the  crop 
is  ripe.  The  grubs  crawl  out  of  the  nuts  and  work  their 
way  into  the  ground  to  a  depth  of  from  a  few  inches  to 
two  feet,  much  depending  upon  the  nature  of  the  soil. 
Having  very  powerful  jaws,  they  readily  cut  through  a 
layer  of  leaves  or  soft  wood,  and  I  have  known  them  to 
cut  holes  in  sheets  of  dry  cork.  These  grubs  remain  in 


THE    CHESTNUT.  115 

the  ground  until  the  following  season,  then  come  forth 
in  their  winged  or  weevil  stage,  except  the  belated 
broods,  or  those  that  have  not  reached  full  size  in  the 
autumn ;  these  remain  in  the  ground  the  entire  summer, 
coming  out  late  in  the  fall,  or  pass  over  until  the  second 
year,  as  I  have  proved  by  burying  the  grubs  in  a  barrel 
sunk  in  the  ground,  covering  the  top  with  fine  wire  net- 
ting, to  prevent  the  escape  of  the  weevils  as  they  emerged 
from  time  to  time  during  the  season. 

As  a  rule,  we  find  only  one  grub  in  a  nut,  of  the 
American  sweet  chestnut,  but  in  the  larger  varieties  of 
the  European  and  Japanese,  two  or  more  is  not  unusual, 
which  rather  favors  the  idea  that  the  female  weevil  does 
possess  something  akin  to  reason,  which  guides  her  in 
locating  stores  of  food  available  for  her  progeny.  I  have 
never  observed  that  the  weevils  had  any  choice  among 
varieties,  all  being  subject  to  their  attacks  alike,  pro- 
vided all  were  growing  in  equally  favorable  positions. 
But  if  the  trees  are  of  different  sizes,  some  tall  and 
others  short,  some  exposed  to  the  winds  and  others  pro- 
tected, then  the  ravages  of  this  pest  will,  no  doubt,  be 
as  variable  as  the  surrounding  conditions.  As  the 
weevils  emerge  from  the  ground  in  spring  or  early  sum- 
mer, they  will  naturally  seek  the  nuts  most  convenient 
and  on  the  small  trees,  then  those  on  the  lower  branches 
of  the  larger  ones,  while  those  on  the  upper  part  of  the 
tree,  where  they  are  fully  exposed  to  the  winds,  may 
wholly  escape  the  attacks  of  these  pests.  This  leads  me 
to  think  that  whoever  attempts  to  cut  off  native  chest- 
nut forests,  with  the  expectation  of  renewal  with  the 
larger  varieties,  by  grafting  the  sprouts,  will  find  the 
chestnut  weevil  a  rather  formidable  enemy.  I  have 
found  it  so  on  a  limited  number  of  trees  in  my  own 
grounds,  that  are  grown  from  grafted  sprouts  near  large 
native  specimens,  the  weevils  destroying  nearly  every 
nut ;  but  out  in  the  field,  away  from  the  woods,  and 


116  THE  NUT  CULTUR1ST. 

where  the  young  trees  are  scattered  and  exposed  to  the 
full  sweep  of  the  winds,  the  nuts  are  sound  and  free 
from  insect  enemies.  The  only  remedy  is  to  collect  and 
destroy  the  weevils,  which  is  not  a  serious  matter  where 
only  the  larger  varieties  are  cultivated. 

Diseases  of  the  Chestnut. — I  have  never  noticed 
any  special  disease  among  chestnuts,  neither  do  I  find 
any  mentioned  in  European  works  on  forestry.  The 
nearest  approach  to  any  such  malady  being  recorded  as 
having  appeared  in  this  country,  is  found  in  a  paragraph 
in  Hough's  "Report  on  Forestry,"  1877,  p.  470,  where  the 
author  copies  from  Prof.  W.  C.  Kerr,  State  Geologist, 
^orth  Carolina,  as  follows:  "The  chestnut  was  for- 
merly abundant  in  the  Piedmont  region,  down  to  the 
country  between  the  Catawba  and  Yadkin  rivers,  but 
within  the  last  thirty  years  they  have  mostly  perished. 
They  are  now  found  east  of  the  Blue  Ridge  only,  on 
higher  ridges  and  spurs  of  the  mountains.  They  have 
suffered  injury  here,  and  are  dying  out  both  here  and 
beyond  the  Blue  Ridge.  They  are  much  less  fruitful 
than  they  were  a  generation  ago,  and  the  crop  is  much 
more  uncertain." 

While  there  is  nothing  said  about  any  chestnut  dis- 
ease in  the  paragraph  quoted,  we  only  infer  that  the 
author  intended  to  convey  the  idea  that  the  trees  were 
suffering  from  some  endemic  malady,  although  it  may 
have  been  due  to  long  drouths,  insect  depredators,  or 
other  causes.  A  few  years  later  Mr.  Hough,  in  his 
"Elements  of  Forestry,"  refers  to  the  subject  again,  and 
admits  that  "the  cause  of  the  malady  is  unknown." 
But  as  chestnuts  continue  to  come  to  our  markets  in 
vast  quantities  from  the  Piedmont  regions,  there  must 
be  a  goodly  number  of  healthy  trees  remaining. 

Uses. — The  economic  value  of  the  chestnut,  as 
food  for  mankind  and  the  lower  animals,  has  been,  and 
is  still,  so  well  known,  that  no  extended  dissertation  or 


THE   CHESTNUT.  117 

compilation  of  historic  instances  of  its  usefulness  are 
required  here.  For  almost  two  thousand  years  it  has 
been  an  important  article  of  food  throughout  southern 
Europe,  and  in  some  of  the  mountainous  districts  it  is 
almost  the  "staff  of  life"  among  the  poorer  people,  who 
not  only  use  these  nuts  in  their  raw  state,  but  roasted, 
boiled,  stewed,  and  even  dried  and  ground  into  flour, 
from  which  a  coarse  but  nutritious  kind  of  cake  or  bread 
is  made.  These  nuts  are  also  used  in  the  same  way  by 
the  poorer  classes  of  China  and  Japan,  and  probably  in 
other  oriental  countries.  In  France,  Italy,  Spain  and 
Portugal,  the  chestnut  crop  is  of  immense  importance, 
not  only  for  domestic  use,  but  commercially,  because  all 
surplus  is  wanted  by  other  nations,  who  are  ever  ready 
to  take  a  share,  and  pay  a  good  round  price  for  the  same. 

In  this  country  chestnuts  are  mainly  used  as  a  lux- 
ury or  a  kind  of  pocket  lunch  for  the  children,  as  they 
are  rarely  brought  to  the  table,  and  it  is  very  doubtful 
if  the  American  housewife,  or  our  cooks, — unless  foreign 
born  and  bred, — know  anything  about  preparing  these 
delicious  nuts  for  comestible  purposes.  Cereals,  meats, 
fruits  and  vegetables  have  always  been  so  abundant  and 
cheap  in  this  country,  that  the  poorest  of  the  poor  could 
indulge  in  them  without  stint  or  limit ;  but  all  this  will 
change  sooner  or  later,  and  when  our  population  has 
doubled  or  trebled,  the  edible  nuts  must  become  of  much 
more  importance  than  now,  and  a  roast  turkey  stuffed 
with  chestnuts  may  figure  as  the  ideal  of  gastronomic 
art. 

As  our  native  chestnuts  are  now  annually  consumed 
by  the  thousands  of  bushels,  and  the  imported  varieties 
by  millions  of  pounds,  and  all  as  a  mere  luxury, — not  a 
necessity  nor  an  article  which  we  could  not  dispense 
with  without  any  serious  inconvenience, — we  may  well 
consider  what  the  future  demand  must  be,  and  make 
haste  to  meet  it  with  an  abundant  supply. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

FILBERT    OR     HAZELXUT. 

Corylus,  Tournefort.  Name  from  korys,  a  hood, 
helmet  or  bonnet,  in  reference  to  the  form  of  the  calyx 
or  husk  enclosing  the  nut.  Order,  Corylacece.  Decid- 
uous trees  or  low  shrubs.  Male  flowers  appearing  in 
the  autumn  in  pendulous  cylindrical  catkins  two  inches 
or  more  in  length,  with  a  two-cleft  calyx  partly  united 
with  the  bracts  or  scales.  These  catkins  remain  on  the 
plants  all  winter,  becoming  fully  developed,  and  shed- 
ding their  pollen  early  the  following  spring.  Female 
flowers  minute,  entirely  hidden  within  the  buds  during 
the  winter,  but  early  in  spring  their  bright  red,  thread- 
like stigmas  push  out  from  the  tips  of  the  lateral  or  ter- 
minal buds.  Ovary  two-celled,  with  one  ovule  in  each. 
Nut  globular,  ovoid  or  oblong,  often  in  clusters,  but 
each  enclosed  in  a  leafy,  two-  or  three- valved  husk, 
fringed  or  deeply  notched  at  the  upper  end.  Leaves 
broadly  heart-shaped,  serrate,  with  sturdy,  short  leaf- 
stalks. The  filbert  and  hazel  always  bloom  before  the 
leaves  appear  in  spring,  and  the  male  catkins  usually 
open  and  begin  to  scatter  their  pollen  in  this  latitude 
during  warm  days  in  March,  the  females  soon  following, 
their  bright-red  stigmas  pushing  out  from  the  ends  of 
the  buds ,  but  as  soon  as  fertilization  has  been  consum- 
mated they  shrivel  and  disappear.  The  trees  may  then 
remain  leafless  for  weeks  following,  and  yet  produce  a 
heavy  crop  of  fruit. 

The  common  English  name,  filbert,  is  from  "full- 
beard."  All  the  varieties  with  husks  extending  beyond 
the  nut,  and  with  fringed  edges,  are  filberts  (Fig.  37) ; 

^ 


FILBERT   OB    HAZELNUT. 


119 


while  those  with  husks  shorter  than  the  nuts  (Fig.  38) 
are  hazels,  from  the  old  Anglo-Saxon  word,  licesel,  a 
hood  or  bonnet.  The  parentage,  size,  form  or  quality 
of  the  nut,  is  not  to  be  considered  in  this  classification, 
for  when  the  nuts  are  ripe  and.  fallen  from  the  husks, 


FIG.  37.     LARGE  FILBERT. 


there  is  nothing  left  to  distinguish  the  hazelnuts  from 
filberts,  unless  a  person  is  sufficiently  familiar  with  a 
variety  to  know  to  which  group  it  belongs.  In  France 
these  nuts  are  known  under  the  general  name  of  Noysette; 
while  in  Germany  it  is  Haselnuss ;  in  Holland  Hazel- 


120  THE   XUT   CULTURIST. 

noot ;  and  in  Italy  Avellana,  from  Avellana,  a  city  of 
Naples,  near  which  there  is  a  valley  where  these  nuts 
have  been  extensively  cultivated  for  many  centuries. 

History  of  the  Filbert. — It  is  claimed  that  the 
filbert  was  first  known  to  the  Romans  as  Nux  Pontica, 
because  introduced  from  Pontus ;  but  it  must  have  be- 
come naturalized  throughout  southern  Europe  in  very 
early  times.  But  the  Italian  name  of  Avellana  appears 
to  have  been  applied  to  the  wild  hazel  of  Britain,  long 
before  Linnaeus  adopted  it  as  the  specific  name  of  the 


FIG.  38.     LARGE  SEEDLING  HAZELNUT. 

indigenous  species.  John  Evelyn,  one  of  the  most  care- 
ful and  learned  of  English  arboriculturists  of  his  time, 
in  referring  to  these  nuts,  in  his  "Sylva,"  1664,  says: 
"I  do  not  confound  the  filbert  Pontic,  distinguished  by 
its  beard,  with  our  foresters  or  bald  hazelnuts,  which, 
doubtless,  we  had  from  abroad,  bearing  the  names  of 
Avelan  or  Avelin,  as  I  find  in  some  ancient  records  and 
deeds  in  my  custody,  where  my  ancestors'  names  were 
written  Avelan,  alias  Evelin." 


FILBERT   OR    HAZELNUT.  121 

The  filbert  has  been  celebrated  in  prose  and  poetry 
from  ancient  times,  as  we  may  infer  from  a  remark  of 
Virgil,  who  says  that  it  has  been  more  honored  "than 
the  vine,  the  myrtle,  or  even  the  bay  itself"  (Eclogue  vii). 

The  supposed  occult  power- of  a  forked  twig  of  the 
hazel  as  a  divining-rod  (virgula  divinatoria)  for  finding 
hidden  treasures,  veins  of  metals,  subterranean  streams 
of  water,  and  even  pointing  out  criminals,  is,  of  course, 
purely  mythical,  although  so  solemnly  attested  by  many 
learned  men  in  the  past ;  and  I  would  not  consider  this 
myth  worthy  of  a  notice  here  were  it  not  for  the  fact 
that  it  was  early  imported  into  this  country,  and  is  still 
firmly  believed  by  many  persons  among  our  rural  popu- 
lation. It  is  true  that  the  supposed  attributes  of  the 
European  hazel  have  been  transferred  to  different  plants 
in  this  country,  mainly  to  the  peach  and  our  indigenous 
witch-hazel  (Hamamelis  Virginiana),  but  the  myth 
still  lives,  a  legitimate  descendant  of  an  Old  World 
nut  tree. 

There  is  little  to  be  said  in  regard  to  the  history  of 
the  filbert  and  hazelnut  in  this  country,  but  it  is  quite 
likely  that  both  of  the  European  species,  and  many  vari- 
eties, were  brought  here  and  planted  by  the  early  settlers 
in  the  Eastern  States,  and  bushes  of  the  same  could  have 
been  seen  in  many  gardens  a  hundred  years  ago ;  but  I 
have  been  unable  to  find  any  account  of  extensive  plant- 
ings of  these  nuts,  although  nurserymen,  all  along,  have 
been  offering  choice  varieties  to  their  customers.  In 
the  main,  our  pomologists  have  either  remained  silent  in 
regard  to  these  nuts,  or,  at  most,  referred  to  them  very 
briefly  in  their  published  works. 

William  Prince,  of  Flushing,  N.  Y.,in  a  "Short 
Treatise  on  Horticulture,"  published  in  1828,  refers  to 
the  filbert  as  follows  :  "This  shrub  or,  in  some  cases, 
tree,  accommodates  itself  to  every  exposition,  and  to 
every  variety  of  soil,  but  prefers  a  moist  loam  on  a  sandy 


122  THE    NUT   CULTURIST. 

bottom,  with  a  northern  exposure.  It  is  easily  multi- 
plied by  seeds,  layers  or  inoculation.  In  fact,  these 
nuts,  which  are  vended  in  large  quantities  in  our  mar- 
kets, grow  as  well  in  our  climate  as  the  common  hazel- 
nut,  and  produce  very  abundantly.  Such  being  the 
case,  it  is  hoped,  ere  long,  sufficient  will  be  produced 
from  our  soil  to  supersede  the  necessity  of  importation, 
as  plantations  of  this  tree  would  amply  remunerate  the 
possessor ;  or  if  planted  as  a  hedge,  would  be  found  to 
be  very  productive.  A  single  bush  of  the  Spanish  filbert 
in  my  garden  has  produced  a  half -bushel  annually." 

Mr.  Prince  then  names  a  few  of  the  best  varieties, 
which  are  about  the  same  as  those  recommended  at  the 
present  time,  and  he  was,  no  doubt,  honest  in  recom- 
mending filbert  culture  to  his  countrymen,  for  his  own 
limited  experience  proved  that  the  trees  would  grow 
here  and  fruit  abundantly. 

A.  J.  Downing,  in  the  first  edition  of  his  "  Fruits 
and  Fruit  Trees  of  America,"  1845,  says  :  "The  Span- 
ish filbert,  common  in  many  of  our  gardens,  is  a  worth- 
less, nearly  barren  variety  ;  but  we  have  found  the  better 
English  sorts  productive  and  excellent  in  this  climate 
(Newburg,  N.  Y.),  and  at  least  a  few  plants  of  these 
should  have  a  place  in  all  our  gardens."  If  a  few  plants 
will  succeed  in  a  garden,  then  we  might  reasonably  sup- 
pose that  the  number  might  be  safely  increased,  and 
this  was  the  idea  of  Mr.  Prince,  and  many  other  writers 
on  the  subject  since  his  time,  but  I  fail  to  find  any  rec- 
ord of  extended  experiments  with  these  nuts  in  this 
country,  and  as  there  must  be  some  good  reason  for  this 
neglect,  perhaps  my  own  experience  in  the  cultivation 
of  the  filbert  and  hazel,  to  be  given  in  succeeding  pages, 
may  throw  some  light  on  this  question. 

Propagation. — Filberts  are  readily  propagated  by 
almost  all  the  modes  employed  in  the  multiplication  of 
ordinary  fruit  trees  and  shrubs.  The  nuts  are  not  at  all 


FILBERT   OE   HAZELNUT.  123 

delicate,  and  may  be  planted  in  the  fall,  or  stored  in  a 
cool  place,  mixed  with  sand  or  sphagnum,  and  then  put 
out  in  spring,  always  selecting  a  rather  light  and  rich 
soil  for  a  seed  bed,  and  in  such  beds  plants  from  one  to 
three  feet  high  may  be  obtained  the  first  season.  The 
seedlings  produce  such  a  mass  of  fine  roots  that  they  are 
readily  transplanted  without  danger  of  loss.  Varieties 
are  perpetuated  and  multiplied  by  budding,  grafting, 
suckers,  layers,  and  some  grow  quite  readily  from  cut- 
tings made  of  the  young,  vigorous  shoots,  cut  up  into 
proper  lengths  in  the  fall,  and  then  buried  in  the  ground 
until  the  following  spring,  then  planted  out  in  trenches, 
as  usually  practiced  with  currants,  grapes  and  similar 
plants.  The  method  of  propagation  most  generally 
practiced  in  Europe  and  this  country  is  by  suckers,  and 
as  the  cultivated  varieties  of  the  filbert  usually  produce 
these  from  the  base  of  their  stems  in  profusion,  there  is 
no  lack  of  material ;  besides,  they  make  as  strong, 
healthy  and  productive  plants  as  can  be  procured  in  any 
other  way.  To  secure  an  extra  number  of  roots  on  these 
suckers,  they  should  be  banked  up  with  a  few  inches  in 
depth  of  good  rich  soil,  or  old  manure,  about  midsum- 
mer, and  then  late  in  the  autumn  dig  down  to  the  base 
and  remove  with  knife  or  chisel,  after  which  they  may 
be  headed  down  to  about  fifteen  or  eighteen  inches,  and 
heeled-in  for  the  winter,  to  be  planted  out  in  nursery 
rows  early  in  spring.  If  a  greater  number  of  sprouts  are 
wanted  than  the  plants  naturally  produce,  the  main 
stem  may  be  cut  down  ;  but  this  will  seldom  be  necessary, 
because  the  young  transplanted  suckers  will  usually  pro- 
duce more  or  less  new  ones  the  first  season,  all  of  which 
can  be  utilized  for  multiplying  the  stock  if  they  are 
wanted. 

Soil,  Location  and  Climate. — European  varieties 
of  the  filbert  thrive  best  in  what  may  be  termed  a  rich 
loam,  with  a  dry  subsoil.  If  the  soil  is  too  moist,  the 


124  THE   NUT   CULTURIST. 

trees  are  inclined  to  run  too  much  to  wood,  producing 
less  fruit.  In  the  famous  nut  orchards  of  Kent,  Eng- 
land, the  soil  is  loam  upon  a  dry,  sandy  rock.  The 
trees  in  these  orchards  are  manured  at  least  once  in  two 
years,  especially  after  they  reach  the  full  bearing  age. 
Almost  any  good  soil  that  is  rich  enough  to  produce  a 
good  crop  of  corn,  and  is  not  submerged  in  winter,  will 
answer  for  the  filbert  in  this  country. 

In  selecting  a  location  for  a  filbert  orchard,  an  open, 
airy  one  would  probably  be  preferable  to  a  spot  so  shel- 
tered as  to  cause  the  flowers  to  appear  so  early  as  to  be 
injured  by  frosts.  Furthermore,  I  would  warn  culti- 
vators to  keep  as  far  away  as  possible  from  any  hedge- 
rows or  plantation  of  the  wild  native  hazel  bushes,  for 
these  are  always  loaded  with  disease  germs  that  are  fatal 
to  the  foreign  species.  We  might  reasonably  suppose 
that  filberts  would  succeed  better  in  the  Southern  than 
in  the  Northern  States,  but  if  the  experience  of  those 
who  have  tried  them  there  count  for  anything,  then 
these  nuts  are  not  adapted  to  the  South,  owing  to  the 
fact  that  the  flowers  almost  invariably  push  out  during 
warm  days  in  winter,  and  these  are  destroyed  later  by 
frosts.  In  the  more  elevated  regions  of  the  northern 
border  of  the  Southern,  and  in  similar  locations  in  the 
Middle  States,  these  nuts  will  doubtless  thrive,  or  at 
least  the  climate  will  prove  congenial.  The  more  equa- 
ble the  climate  and  free  from  extremes  in  temperature, 
the  better  ;  but  the  most  important  element  in  this 
country  is  moisture,  especially  in  summer,  when  the 
nuts  are  filling  out ;  and  the  best  way  to  supply  this, 
where  irrigation  cannot  be  practiced,  is  to  keep  the 
ground  around  the  trees  continually  covered  with  a 
mulch  of  leaves  or  other  coarse  vegetable  matter. 

Planting  and  Pruning. — The  space  to  be  allowed 
between  the  plants,  when  set  out  for  bearing,  will,  of 
course,  depend  very  much  upon  the  size  they  are  ex- 


FILBERT    OB   HAZELNUT.  125 

pecfced  to  attain.  Those  varieties  which  assume  and 
remain  in  the  bush  form  may  be  planted  very  close  to- 
gether, or  not  more  than  six  to  eight  feet  between  the 
plants ;  but  those  which  become  small  trees  must  be 
given  more  room.  The  larger  European  sorts,  which 
are  at  present  the  only  ones  worth  cultivating  for  their 
nuts,  should  be  set  ten  or  twelve  feet  apart,  and  the 
rows  fifteen  to  sixteen  feet,  then  if  properly  pruned  they 
will  shade  the  ground  and  be  in  a  convenient  form  for 
gathering  the  crop.  The  trees  may  be  planted  in  the 
orchard  when  quite  small,  and  some  kind  of  vegetable 
crop  grown  among  them,  for  the  first  two  or  three  years, 
but  I  would  prefer  keeping  the  plants  in  nursery  rows 
until  they  were  four  or  five  feet  high,  and  then  trans- 
plant to  the  orchard,  and  set  a  short,  stout  stake  by  the 
side  of  each,  to  keep  the  main  stem  in  an  upright  posi- 
tion until  the  tree  is  well  established. 

The  first  pruning, — except  removing  suckers  from 
those  in  the  nursery  rows, — will  be  the  heading  back  of 
the  main  or  central  stem  to  a  bight  of  two  or  three 
feet,  for  the  purpose  of  laying  the  foundation,  as  it 
were,  of  the  head  of  the  future  tree.  Three  or  four  of 
the  larger  branches,  which  will  push  out  from  near  the 
top  of  the  severed  main  stem,  are  to  be  selected  to  form 
the  top,  and  all  others  removed.  Small  lateral  branches 
or  twigs  will  spring  out  from  the  larger  or  main  ones, 
and  in  this  way  the  head  of  a  bearing  tree  is  formed. 
But  before  attempting  to  prune  a  mature  or  fruitful 
tree,  we  must  consider  the  mode  of  fructification,  for 
the  filbert  does  not  bear  nuts  on  the  young  growth  of 
the  season,  as  in  the  chestnut,  but  on  the  small  branch- 
lets  or  spur-like  twigs  of  the  preceding  season,  or,  as  we 
may  say,  on  the  one-year-old  twigs.  The  small  fruiting 
twigs  are  seldom  more  than  four  to  six  inches  long,  and 
sometimes  almost  every  well-developed  bud  on  these  con- 
tain pistillate  flowers  and  embryo  nuts,  either  singly  or 


126  THE   NUT   CULTUKIST. 

in  clusters.  In  pruning  the  bearing  trees,  the  main 
point  to  be  observed  is  to  head  back  the  strong  leading 
shoots,  to  prevent  the  trees  growing  too  tall,  as  well  as 
to  force  out  the  side  or  lateral  twigs  as  fruiting  wood 
for  the  ensuing  year.  If  the  heads  of  the  trees  become 
too  much  crowded  to  admit  light  and  air  to  the  center, 
some  of  the  larger  branches  must  be  removed  entire. 
The  best  time  to  prune  is  in  early  spring,  when  the  trees 
are  in  bloom,  for  at  this  season  we  can  readily  determine 
the  injured  from  the  sound  male  catkins,  and  preserve 
enough  of  these  to  insure  perfect  fertilization.  It  is  not 
necessary,  however,  that  there  should  be  healthy  pollen- 
bearing  catkins  on  every  tree  in  an  orchard,  for  if  one  in 
a  dozen  is  well  supplied,  there  will  be  sufficient  to  fer- 
tilize the  flowers  of  all  growing  near  by.  It  often  hap- 
pens, in  our  rather  severe  climate,  that  the  catkins  of 
some  trees  or  varieties  are  winterkilled,  while  the  pistil- 
late flowers  enclosed  in  the  buds  escape  injury,  and 
when  this  occurs  it  is  well  to  have  some  hardy  variety  at 
hand,  from  which  pollen  can  be  obtained  when  needed. 
The  inferior  varieties  are  usually  the  most  hardy,  and 
the  wild  European  hazel  or  our  northern  beaked  hazel, 
will  usually  escape  injury  where  all  the  large  improved 
sorts  fail,  and  it  requires  but  a  few  minutes'  labor  to  cut 
branches  bearing  sound  catkins,  and  scatter  these  about 
through  the  heads  of  trees  requiring  such  assistance  to 
make  them  fruitful. 

SPECIES  OF  AMERICAN  HAZELS. 

CORYLUS  AMERICANA  (Walters).  Common  hazel 
bush. — Leaves  roundish,  heart-shaped,  pointed,  coarsely 
serrate ;  husk  somewhat  downy,  with  a  wide,  flattened, 
fringed  border  extending  beyond  the  roundish  nut. 
Shell  rather  thick  and  brittle ;  kernel  sweet  and  good, 
but  the  nut  is  too  small  to  be  considered  of  much  value. 
A.  low  shrub,  with  many  stems  springing  from  the  roots. 


FILBERT   OR   HAZELNUT.  127 

Young  shoots  and  twigs  downy  and  glandular-hairy. 
Common  in  woods  and  old  fields  from  Canada  to  Florida. 
CORYLUS  ROSTRATA  (Aiton).  Beaked  hazel. — Leaves 
ovate  or  oblong,  somewhat  heart-shaped,  pointed,  doubly 
serrate  ;  husk  extending  an  inch  or  more  beyond  the 
round  or  ovoid  nut,  forming  before  it  opens  a  long  tubu- 
lar beak,  hence  the  name.  The  husk  is  densely  covered 
with  nettle-like  bristles,  which  are  quite  irritating  to 
tender  hands.  The  nuts  are  small,  usually  growing  in 
clusters  at  the  ends  of  the  twigs,  only  a  few  coming  to 
maturity.  A  low  shrub  or  small  tree,  usually  growing 
in  a  dense  clump,  not  spreading  from  subterranean 
stems,  as  in  the  last  species.  Common  on  rather  firm 
and  rich  soil  along  the  borders  of  streams,  in  the 
northern  border  States,  and  southward  on  the  Alle- 
ghanies,  but  most  abundant  in  the  north  through  Can- 
ada, and  westward  to  the  Pacific  in  Washington  and. 
Oregon,  where,  in  the  mountains,  it  often  assumes  the 
tree  form,  growing  to  a  hight  of  twenty-five  to  thirty 
feet,  with  a  stem  from  four  to  six  inches  in  diameter. 
The  wood  is  light,  soft,  and  very  white  to  the  center. 
It  also  extends  southward  to  central  California,  but 
here  it  is  only  a  small  bush,  this  form  having  been  de- 
scribed under  the  name  of  Corylus  rostrata,  var.  Cali- 
fornica,  A.  de  C.  This  species  probably  reaches  its  high- 
est development  in  the  Cascade  range,  in  northern  Ore- 
gon. The  same  or  a  closely  allied  species  of  the  hazel 
extends  far  into  northern  Asia.  There  are  no  improved 
varieties  of  either  of  our  native  species  of  the  hazel  in 
cultivation. 

EUROPEAN   SPECIES  OF  CORYLUS. 

CORYLUS  AVELLANA  (Linn.).  Common  hazelnut. — 
Leaves  roundish,  heart-shaped,  pointed,  coarsely  and  un- 
evenly serrate ;  husk  bell-shaped,  spreading,  with  a 
fringed  or  deeply  cut  margin.  The  original  form  of  this 


128  THE   XUT   CULTURIST. 

nut  is  supposed  to  have  been  ovate  or  oval,  but  with  a 
plant  indigenous  to  such  a  wide  range  of  climate  and 
country,  and  one  that  has  been  so  long  under  cultivation, 
— running  wild  in  many. localities  where  it  is  not  a  native, 
— it  would  be  very  difficult  at  this  time  to  determine  its 
primary  botanical  characters.  A  common  shrub  or  small 
tree  throughout  the  greater  part  of  Europe  and  Asia. 

CORYLUS  COLURNA  (Linn.). — Constantinople  ha- 
zel. Leaves  roundish  ovate,  heart-shaped  ;  husk  double, 
the  inner  one  divided  into  three  deeply  cleft  divisions, 
the  outer  with  many  long,  slender,  curved  segments, 
giving  to  the  calyx  or  husk  a  fringed  appearance,  but 
leaving  the  end  of  the  nut  fully  exposed  (Fig.  39).  Kiits 
small,  and  for  this  reason  rarely  cultivated.  Native  of 
Asia  Minor,  where  the  tree  attains  a  bight  of  from  fifty 
to  sixty  feet.  It  is,  however,  hardy  in  France  and  Eng- 
land, and  was  introduced  into  the  latter  country  some 
three  hundred  years  ago,  probably  by  Clusius,  who  re- 
ceived either  nuts  or  plants  from  Constantinople,  hence 
its  present  name. 

There  are  several  other  hazels  and  filberts,  so  distinct 
from  the  two  common  European  types  that  botanists 
have,  in  a  few  instances,  been  inclined  to  elevate  them 
to  the  rank  of  species,  and  among  these  I  may  name 
Corylus  lieteropliylla,  or  various-leaved  filbert,  from  east- 
ern Asia,  also  the  Corylus  ferox,  or  spiny  filbert,  which 
has  a  long  and  deeply  cut  or  fringed  husk.  It  is  a  na- 
tive of  the  Sheopur  mountain  in  K"epaul.  But  from  the 
two  common  European  species,  C.  Avellana  and  C.  Co- 
lurna,  and  their  hybrids,  many  hundreds  of  varieties 
have  been  raised,  and  from  among  these  we  may  readily 
select  a  dozen  possessing  all  the  distinct  and  estimable 
properties  to  be  found  in  this  genus  of  nut-bearing 
plants ;  to  "multiply  names  without  securing  anything 
of  intrinsic  value,  is  but  a  waste  of  time  and  labor  on 
the  part  of  the  cultivator. 


FILBERT   OK    HAZELNUT. 


129 


As  we  have  no*  popular  varieties  of  American  origin, 
I  am  compelled  to  consult  European  catalogues  in  mak- 
ing a  selection  of  those  most  promising  for  cultivation 
here,  and  this  is,  perhaps,  an  advantage,  inasmuch  as 
our  transatlantic  cousins  have  hud  a  long  experience  and 


FIG.  39.     CONSTANTINOPLE  HAZEL. 

abundant  opportunities  for  determining  the  merits  of 
the  varieties  they  recommend.  If  hardiness  and  adap- 
tation to  our  soil  and  climate  are  to  be  taken  into  ac- 
count, in  making  a  selection,  then  we  may  fail  for  the 
want  of  experienced  guides,  as  it  is  undeniable  that  very 
9 


130  THE    XUT   CULTURIST. 

few  persons  in  this  country  have  ever  attempted  to  con- 
duct extended  experiments  in  the  cultivation  of  either 
the  native  or  European  species  and  varieties  of  the  hazel. 
Taking  this  view  of  the  situation,  I  shall  avail  my- 
self of  the  small  but  select  list  of  varieties  given  in  that 
standard  work,  "The  Dictionary  of  Gardening,"  edited 
by  Mr.  George  Nicnolson,  of  the  Eoyal  Gardens,  Kew, 
England. 

SELECT  LIST  OF  VARIETIES. 

ALBA,  OR  WHITE  FILBERT. — Considered  in  Eng- 
land one  of  the  best  varieties  in  cultivation.  From  the 
peculiar  structure  of  the  husk,  which  contracts  rather 
than  opens  at  the  outer  edge,  this  filbert  can  be  kept 
longer  in  its  cover  than  most  others.  As  fashion 
demands  that  fresh  filberts  must  be  brought  to  the 
table  in  their  husks,  this  variety  deserves  special  atten- 
tion. It  is  also  known  as  Avelinier  Blanche,  Wrotham 
Park,  etc. 

COSFORD,      OR     MlSS     YOUNG'S     THIN-SHELLED. — 

Nut  oblong,  of  excellent  quality ;  husk  hairy,  deeply 
cut,  about  as  long  -as  the  nut.  Highly  valued  on  ac- 
count of  the  thinness  of  the  shell. 

CRISPA,  OR  FRIZZLED  FILBERT. — Shell  thin,  some- 
what flattened ;  husk  richly  and  curiously  frizzled 
throughout,  open  wide  at  the  mouth,  and  hanging 
about  as  long  again  as  the  nut.  Ripens  late,  and  one  of 
the  most  productive. 

DOWXTON  LARGE  SQUARE. — Nut  very  large;  shell, 
thick  and  well-filled  ;  husk  smooth,  shorter  than  the 
nut.  A  peculiarly  formed  semi-square  nut,  of  the  best 
quality. 

LAMBERT'S  FILBERT  (Corylus  tubulosa]. — Nut 
large,  obloug;  shell  thick  and  strong,  the  kernel  being 
covered  with  a  red  skin ;  husk  long,  rather  smooth,  ser- 
rated at  the  edges,  longer  than  the  nut.  A  fine,  strong- 


FILBERT   OR   HAZELNUT.  131 

growing,  free-fruiting  variety,  it  is  quite  popular  in 
California,  where  it  has  been  in  cultivation  for  twenty 
years  or  more  under  the  name  of  Red  Aveline.  Speci- 
mens I  have  received  from  there  were  not  as  large  as. 
those  raised  in  England,  but  this  can  be  accounted  for 
by  the  difference  in  climate.  This  variety  is  cultivated 
in  Europe  under  various  local  names,  as,  for  instance, 
Great  Cob,  Kentish  Cob,  Filbert  Cob,  and  Large  Bond 
Cob. 

GRAHDIS,  OR  ROUND  COBNUT.— Nut  large,  short,, 
slightly  compressed,  very  thick  and  hard ;  husk  shorter 
than  the  fruit,  much  frizzled  and  hairy.  This  is  sup- 
posed to  be  the  true  Barcelona  nut  of  commerce,  and  is 
one  of  the  finest  grown.  This  is  the  large  round  hazel 
or  filbert  so  largely  imported  for  the  trade  in  this  coun- 
try. It  has  many  synonyms,  and  among  them  we  may 
record  Downton,  Dwarf  Prolific,  Great  Cob  and  Round 
Cob. 

PURPLE-LEAYED  FILBERT, — Usually  eultivated  as 
an  ornamental  shrub  in  this  country,  but  under  proper 
treatment  it  is  one  of  the  most  valuable  for  its  fruit. 
Leaves  very  large,  and  of  a  deep  purple  color.  Nuts 
and  husk  of  the  same  color,  which  they  retain  until  cut 
by  frosts.  Nuts  large,  an  inch  in  length ;  husks  much 
longer  than  the  nut,  and  slightly  hairy.  The  catkins 
are  tender  and  become  winterkilled  in  our  Northern 
States,  but  if  the  pistillate  flowers  are  fertilized  by  pol- 
len from  some  more  hardy  plant,  this  purple-leaved 
filbert  is  exceedingly  prolific.  I  have  gathered  eighty 
nuts  from  a  small  bush  in  my  garden,  the  flowers  of 
which  had  been  fertilized  from  another  variety  in  early 
spring. 

RED  FILBERT.  Red  Hazel,  Avelinier  Rouge. — Nut 
medium  ovate,  not  long  as  in  the  tubulosa,  or  Lambert's 
filbert ;  shell  thick ;  husk  long  and  hispid.  A  very 
productive  variety  of  goad  quality. 


132  THE   NUT   CULTURIST. 

SPANISH  FILBERT. — Nut  very  large,  oblong;  shell 
thick  ;  husk  smooth,  longer  than  the  nut.  A  very  large 
variety,  sometimes  confounded  with  the  Round  cobnut 
and  its  synonyms. 

PERSONAL  EXPERIENCE  WITH  FILBERTS. 

Believing  that  our  failures  are  often  of  far  more 
value,  in  the  line  of  education,  than  our  successes,  I 
shall  not  hesitate  to  place  my  own  on  record  as  guide- 
posts  to  those  who  may  be  seeking  the  most  direct  road 
to  success  in  nut  culture.  Having  had  a  rather  extended 
and  expensive  experience  in  the  cultivation  of  filberts,  I 
purpose  giving  a  brief  account  of  it  here,  with  the  hope 
that  it  may  save  some  other  enthusiast  from  losing  time 
and  money. 

My  attention  was  first  specially  drawn  to  these  nuts 
in  1858, — while  a  resident  of  the  city  of  Brooklyn.  X.  Y., 
— by  a  neighbor  who  had  a  moderately  large  garden,  on 
three  sides  of  which  he  had  planted- a  row  of  English 
filberts.  These  trees,  at  the  time,  had  attained  a  hight 
of  about  fifteen  feet,  with  broad,  open  heads,  and  they 
rarely  failed  to  produce  a  heavy  crop  of  nuts,  which  sold 
readily  at  very  remunerative  prices,  for  as  they  were 
always  gathered  in  the  husks  and  sold  by  the  pound, 
the  amount  obtained  from  these  few  trees  seemed  to  be 
enormous,  considering  the  small  space  they  occupied  in 
this  garden.  The  owner  of  these  filbert  trees,  being  an 
Englishman  by  birth,  never  tired  of  showing  his  Eng- 
lish filberts  to  visitors,  and  of  descanting  upon  their  value,' 
as  well  as  upon  the  stupid  indifference  of  the  Yankees 
in  neglecting  the  cultivation  of  these  valuable  nuts.  I 
imbibed  enough  of  my  neighbor's  enthusiasm  to  secure 
a  good  stock  of  his  plants,  a  few  years  later,  for  cultiva- 
tion in  my  grounds  here.  The  third  year  after  planting, 
quite  a  number  of  the  bushes  produced  a  fair  crop  of 
nuts,  but  I  noticed  that  an  occasional  shoot  was  affected 


FILBEliT   OR    HAZELNUT.  133 

with  blight,  and  these  were  immediately  cut  out  and 
burned.  The  next  season  more  of  the  branches  were 
affected,  and  from  these  the  blight  extended  downward 
on  the  main  stems,  and  when  these  were  cut  away  the 
sprouts  from  below  made  a  very  vigorous  and  apparently 
healthy  growth,  some  reaching  a  hight  of  six  feet  the 
first  season,  but  a  year  or  two  later  these  were  also  at- 
tacked and  destroyed  by  blight. 

Finding  that  the  filberts  in  my  grounds  were  doomed, 
I  visited  my  old  neighbor  in  Brooklyn,  hoping  to  learn 
something  of  the  origin  or  cause  of  the  disease ;  but  the 
blight  had  invaded  his  garden,  and  not  a  tree  remained. 
On  my  return  from  this  visit  I  had  every  filbert  and 
hazel  plant  on  my  place  dug  up  and  burned,  thinking 
by  such  means  to  stamp  out  the  disease.  After  waiting 
ten  years,  I  thought  it  time  to  try  filberts  again,  and  to 
be  certain  of  securing  pure  and  healthy  plants,  I  con- 
cluded to  raise  them  from  the  nuts,  and  sent  an  order 
for  a  few  pounds  of  the  largest  and  best  variety  to  be 
found  in  the  celebrated  filbert  orchards  of  Kent,  Eng. 
In  due  time  the  nuts  arrived,  and  they  were  very  large, 
and  all  of  one  variety,  as  ordered.  They  were  mixed 
with  sand  and  buried  in  the  garden  until  the  following 
spring,  then  sown  thinly  in  shallow  drills  and  covered 
with  about  two  inches  of  rich  soil. 

At  the  close  of  the  first  season  the  plants  were  from 
one  to  two  feet  high  and  quite  stocky,  with  a  mass  of 
small  fibrous  roots.  The  next  spring  they  were  trans- 
planted into  nursery  rows,  and  set  about  one  foot  apart. 
The  third  spring  I  laid  out  about  one  acre  for  a  speci- 
men filbert  orchard,  and  after  the  ground  had  been  thor- 
oughly prepared,  the  plants  were  set  ten  feet  apart  in 
the  row,  and  twelve  between 'the  rows.  No  crop  was 
planted  among  the  trees,  but  the  ground  was  kept  clean 
and  free  from  weeds  during  the  summer,  with  cultivator 
and  harrow.  All  suckers  springing  from  the  base  of  the 


134 


THE   NUT   CULTURIST. 


FILBERT   OR    HAZELIsTT. 


135 


stems  were  removed  as  soon  as  they  appeared,  and  under 
such  treatment  the  plants  made  a  vigorous  growth.  Two 
years  later  quite  a  number  of  the  trees  came  into  bear- 
ing, these  showing  that  I  was  'likely  to  have  nearly  as 
many  varieties  in  my  orchard  as  there  were  trees.  Some 
of  the  varieties  might  be  better  than  the  parent,  but  the 
greater  part  were  certain  to  be  inferior  in  size.  The 
fourth  year  after  planting  in  the  orchard  the  trees  gave 
me  a  heavy  crop  of  nuts,  and  they  made  a  fine  appear- 


FIG.  41.     VARIETIES  OF  FILBERTS  AND  HAZEL  SEEDLINGS. 

ance  as  one  looked  down  between  the  long  rows,  as 
shown  in  Fig.  40.  But  this  season  my  old  enemy,  the 
filbert  blight,  appeared  again,  and  branches  and  main 
stems  began  to  blacken  and  the  leaves  to  wither.  But  I 
had  bushels  of  nuts  and  in  great  variety,  and  by  send- 
ing specimen  baskets  of  the  long-husk  varieties  to  deal- 
ers in  New  York,  learned  that  there  was  an  almost 
unlimited  demand  for  such  nuts,  at  prices  ranging  from. 


136  THE   NUT   CULTUKIST. 


FIG.  42.  EXTRA  LARGE  HAZEL  SEEDLING  OR  ROUND  ENGLISH  FILBERT. 


FILBERT   OK    HAZEL  NUT. 


137 


138  THE   XUT   CULTURIST. 

thirty  to  seventy-five  cents  per  pound,  if  sent  to  market 
in  their  fresh,  half-ripened  husk;  but  later  on,  when 
the  nuts  have  fallen  out  and  become  thoroughly  ripened, 
as  when  imported,  ten  cents  a  pound  may  be  considered 
an  average  price  for  the  larger  varieties.  Several  of 
these  are  shown  in  Fig.  41,  of  natural  size  and  form. 
Another  extra-large  hazel  is  shown  in  Fig.  42.  The 
fifth  year  after  planting,  my  specimen  filbert  orchard 
had  suffered  so  much  from  blight  that  it  appeared  as 
shown  in  Fig.  43 ;  but  a  few  dozen  trees  have  been  re- 
served, the  rest  being  removed  and  reduced  to  ashes. 

Name  and  Nature  of  the  Filbert  Blight. — The 
reader  must  not  suppose  that  one  who  has  spent  ^  much 
time  and  money  as  the  writer  in  experimenting  with 
these  nuts,  would  make  no  effort  to  discover  the  origin 
and  name  of  such  a  virulent  disease,  and  means  of  de- 
stroying it  if  these  were  known.  For  many  years  I  had 
been  well  aware  of  its  presence  in  nearly  all  of  the  nur- 
series of  the  older  States,  as  well  as  in  the  public  parks 
and  private  gardens.  In  the  meantime  I  had  diligently 
examined  the  reports  of  the  Division  of  Vegetable  Pa- 
thology of  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  as  well 
as  the  hundreds  of  bulletins  of  the  various  State  experi- 
ment stations,  treating  of  the  fungous  diseases  of  plants, 
all  without  finding  a  hint  or  reference  to  this  widely 
distributed  and  destructive  blight  of  the  filbert.  I  also 
sent  many  specimens  of  the  diseased  twigs  and  branches 
to  professional  mycologists,  with  no  better  results. 
With  the  nature  of  the  disease,  its  mode  of  multi- 
plication and  distribution,  I  had  become  somewhat  fa- 
miliar, but  the  information  sought  was  :  Had  it  ever 
been  described  and  given  a  scientific  name,  and  if  so, 
where,  and  by  whom  ?  This  much  of  its  history  had 
somehow  escaped  me,  and,  as  it  would  appear  from  the 
following  correspondence,  the  chances  were  none  too 
good  of  finding  it. 


FILBERT   OR   HAZELNUT.  139 

In  reply  to  an  inquiry  directed  to  the  U.  S.  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture,  Division  of  Vegetable  Pathology, 
I  received  the  following  : 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  Aug.  4.  1894. 
DEAR  SIR: 

Your  letter  of  Aug.  2,  relating  to  the  disease  of  the  filbert, 
is  at  hand.  In  reply  I  have  to  say  that  we  have  not  investi- 
gated this  trouble,  and  are  therefore  unable  to  furnish  you 
with  any  definite  information  upon  it.  Specimens  of  the  dis- 
ease, as  you  describe  it,  have  never  been,  so  far  as  I  know,  re- 
ferred to  the  Division,  nor  am  I  able  to  find  any  record  of  any 
such  disease  in  foreign  or  domestic  literature.  If  you  will 
send  us  specimens  we  shall  be  pleased  to  examine  them  and 
furnish  you  a  report.  We  should  also  be  pleased  to  have  any 
information  from  you  hi  regard  to  the  manner  in  which  the 
disease  works.  Very  truly, 

B.  T.  GALLOWAY,  Chief  of  Division. 

The  specimens  requested  were  forwarded  promptly 
by  mail,  and  in  the  absence  of  the  Chief  of  Division, 
they  fell  into  the  hands  of  one  of  his  assistants,  who  re- 
ported as  follows : 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  Aug.  14,  1894. 
DEAR  SIR: 

Your  letter  of  Aug.  7  is  received,  together  with"  the  speci- 
mens. ^  The  stems  of  the  Corylus  are  affected  with  one  of  the 
Pyrenomycetes.  Cryptospora  anomala,  Pk.  The  fungus  is 
described  in  "North  American  Pyrenomycetes,"  by  Ellis  and 
Everhart,  p.  531.  It  attacks  Corylus  Americana,  but  appears 
to  be  worst  on  the  European  varieties,  as  you  say.  The  pus- 
tules appear  first  on  the  young  branches,  and  later  on  the 
older  ones  and  on  the  trunk.  The  roots  are  not  killed. 

The  only  remedy  known  is  to  cut  out  and  burn  the  dis- 
eased stems.  Whether  Bordeaux  mixture  or  any  other  copper 
solution  will  protect  the  shrub  from  attack,  is  not  known.  So 
far  as  I  know,  it  has  not  been  tried.  It  is  probable,  however, 
that  if  the  stems  were  thoroughly  sprayed  with  the  Bordeaux 
mixture  they  would  be  protected  from  attack.  The  mycelium 
of  the  fungus  grows  into  the  cambium  and  practically  girdles 
the  stems.  The  black  pustules  contain  the  spores. 

Very  truly  yours, 
ALBERT  F.  WOODS,  Acting  Chief. 


140  THE   XTT   CULTUKIST. 

On  the  receipt  of  this  note  of  Prof.  Woods,  I  looked 
up  Ellis  and  Everhart's  work,  a  voluminous  one  of  over 
800  octavo  pages,  published  by  the  authors  at  Xewfield, 
N.  J.  This  filbert  blight  is  briefly  described  under  the 
scientific  name  of  Cryptospora  anomala,  Pk.,  but  Prof. 
Peck  writes  me  that  "the  description  was  made  from 
specimens  discovered  near  Albany,  N.  Y.,  in  May,  1874. 
In  1882  this  description  was  repu Wished  by  Saccardo,  in 
his  "Syllage  Fungorum,"  Vol.  I,  p.  470,  under  the  name 
of  Cryptosporefla  anomala.  The  original  name  in  Re- 
port 28,  p.  72,  was  Diatrype  anomala.  In  1892  Ellis  and 
Everhart,  in  "  Pyrenomycetes  of  North  America,"  p.  531, 
changed  the  name  again,  making  it  Cryptospora  ano- 
mala." So  at  present  we  have  the  names  of  this  fungus 
in  the  following  order  : 

Diatribes  anomal,  Peck,  1876. 

Cryptosporella  anomala,  Sacc.,  1882. 

Cryptospora  anomala,  E.  and  E.,  1892. 

Ellis  and  Everhart,  aftar  giving  scientific  descrip- 
tion, add,  "On  living  stems  of  Corylus  Americana, 
Albany,  N.  Y.  (Peck),  Iowa  (Holoway),  on  Corylus  Avel- 
lana,  Newfield,  N.  J.  The  pustules  appear  first  on 
the  smaller  branches,  and  are  serrately  arranged*  along 
one  side  of  the  branch  ;  afterwards  they  appear  also  on 
the  larger  branches  and  on  the  trunk  itself,  and  in  the 
course  of  two  or  three  years  the  part  of  tree  above 
ground  is  entirely  killed.  The  roots,  however,  still 
retain  their  vitality,  and  continue  to  send  up  each  year 
a  luxuriant  growth  of  new  shoots,  destined  to  be  de- 
stroyed the  succeeding  year  by  the  inexorable  pest.  The 
imported  trees  seem  to  be  more  injuriously  affected  than 
the  native  species." 

The  observations  of  Ellis  and  Everhart  and  Prof. 
Woods  accord  with  my  own,  but  I  may  say  that  the  in- 
fested branches  often  show  the  presence  of  the  mycelium 
in  the  bark  and  alburnum, — by  a  slight  shrinking, — 


FILBERT   OR   HAZELNUT. 


141 


weeks  or  months  before  the  pustules  appear,  for  these 
are  merely  indications  of  the  last  stage  in  the  life  of  the 
fungus,  and  with  the  throwing  off  the  spores  from  these 
pustules  the  old  parasite  perishes. 

The  pustules,  when  fully  open,  are  from  one-six- 
teenth to  one-eighth  of  an  inch  in  diam- 
eter, usually  round,  but  sometimes  slightly 
oval  in  form,  and  placed  mainly  in  almost 
straight  rows  lengthways  of  the  branch,  as 
shown  in  Fig.  44.  These  pustules  appear 
on  wood  of  all  ages,  from  two  years  upward, 
and  in  what  may  be  termed  patches,  rang- 
ing from  a  few  inches  to  a  foot  or  more  in 
length,  and  more  frequently  on  the  upper 
side  than  the  underside  of  the  branches. 

This  fungus  is  undoubtedly  indige- 
nous,  and  its  host  plant  is  the  common 
American  hazel  (G.  Americana).  From  a 
very  careful  search,  I  have  not  been  able  to 
find  any  clump  of  these  bushes  of  any  con- 
siderable size  that  was  entirely  free  from 
pustulous  stems.  But  on  these  wild  plants 
it  seems  to  do  but  little  harm,  for  if  a  stem 
is  killed,  another  soon  springs  up  from  the 
roots  to  take  its  place  ;  but  when-this  fun- 
gus invades  our  orchards  and  gardens  and 
attacks  filbert  trees,  we  recognize  it  as  an 
implacable  enemy.  How  far  the  spores  of 
this  fungus  are  likely  to  be  carried  by  the 
wind,  transported  on  the  clothes  of  a  per- 
son, or  the  hair  of  domestic  animals,  I  do 
not  know,  but  it  certainly  is  not  safe  to  FIG,  44. 
plant  the  susceptible  species  and  varieties  HAZEL  FUNGUS. 
within  a  mile  of  the  wild  hazel  bushes,  unless  the  planter 
is  prepared  to  use  fungicides  freely  on  his  trees.  There 
are  certain  phases  of  this  filbert  blight  that  are  rather 


142  THE   XUT   CULTURIST. 

obscure  and  scarcely  explainable ;  as,  for  instance,  its 
virulence  among  some  species  and  varieties,  and  almost 
if  not  total  absence  among  others.  So  far  as  my  obser- 
vation extends,  I  have  never  found  it  attacking  the  na- 
tive beaked  hazel  (Corylus  rostrata),  and  my  correspond- 
ents in  the  Northwest  and  in  the  Pacific  States  assure 
me  that  no  blight  on  the  hazel  has,  as  yet,  been  found 
there,  and  its  absence  is  probably  due  to  the  fact  that 
the  common  hazel  (C.  Americana]  is  not  an  inhabitant 
of  these  regions. 

In  a  neighbor's  garden  just  across  the  highway  from 
my  own,  there  are,  at  this  time,  four  old  European 
hazelnut  trees,  fully  twenty  feet  high  and  as  many  years 
old.  They  are  of  two  varieties  :  one  a  small  round  nut, 
the  other  a  long,  slender  nut,  but  neither  of  much  value, 
because  of  their  small  size.  The  trees,  however,  are 
perfectly  healthy,  never  having  suffered  from  the  blight, 
although  these  four  are  all  that  remain  of  a  long  row 
of  choice  European  varieties  all  planted  at  the  same 
time.  Blight  destroyed  the  better  varieties,  while  these 
inferior  ones  continue  to  thrive  and  are  exceedingly 
productive. 

This  native  fungus  that  causes  blight  in  the  hazels 
is  but  one  of  a  large  number  of  similar  maladies  which 
have  appeared  and  often  worsted  the  horticulturist,  in 
his  endeavor  to  introduce  and  cultivate  foreign  species 
and  varieties  of  plants,  and  like  the  tropical  fevers,  they 
may  pass  unnoticed  among  the  natives,  but  are  terribly 
fatal  to  immigrants  from  cooler  climates.  The  disease ' 
so  well  known  as  the  black  knot  (Ottilia  morbosa,  Schu.), 
and  widely  destructive  to  the  European  varieties  of  the 
plum,  and  Morello  cherries,  has  existed  for  ages  among 
our  native  plums  and  black  cherries,  doing  compara- 
tively little  harm  ;  but  it  seems  to  protest,  by  its  viru- 
lence, against  the  introduction  of  some  foreign  species. 
The  same  is  true  with  various  blights  and  rusts  which 


FILBERT   OR    HAZELNUT.  143 

attack  the  exotic  pear,  apple,  quince,  peach,  and  other 
of  the  larger  fruits,  and  we  have  only  to  ascend  he 
scale  a  few  degrees  from  the  microscopic  fungi  to  the 
microscopic  insects,  to  meet  on  the  very  threshold  of 
this  realm  the  minute  but  unconquerable  grape  louse 
(Phylloxera  vastatrix),  which  for  more  than  tw/s  ca,  tu- 
ries  has  prevented  the  successful  cultivation  of  tht,  Euro- 
pean varieties  of  the  grape  in  the  open  air  everywhere 
east  of  the  Eocky  mountains  in  North  America;  although 
this  minute  insect  has  ever  been  present  and  a  constant 
parasite  of  the  indigenous  species  of  the  grape,  but 
scarcely  affecting  the  health  of  its  host.  The  plum  cur- 
culio,  chestnut  and  hickory  weevils,  bean  weevil,  and 
many  other  similar  species  of  insects  appear  to  be  ever 
protesting  against  the  introduction  of  exotic  plants,  as 
well  as  the  improvement  of  our  indigenous  kinds. 

It  is  this  blight,  and  nothing  else,  that  has  pre- 
vented the  extensive  cultivation  of  the  improved  varie- 
ties of  the  European  filbert  and  hazelnut  in  this  coun- 
try, and  not  the  uncongenial  soil  and  climate,  as  has 
been  so  often  "officially"  proclaimed  by  men  whose  the- 
ories are  far  greater  than  their  practical  knowledge  of 
such  subjects.  Men  whose  experience  with  these  nuts 
has  been  limited  to  a  few  isolated  bushes  or  trees  in  gar- 
dens or  nurseries,  where  they  were  protected,  or  beyond 
the  reach  of  the  spores  of  the  blight  fungus,  as  has 
already  been  noted  in  the  experience  of  Prince,  Downing, 
Barry,  and  my  neighbor  Butler,  of  Brooklyn,  could 
scarcely  understand  why  others  should  remain  so  indif- 
ferent to  such  a  promising  industry,  or  why  the  demand 
for  the  trees  remained  so  limited,  with  scarcely  an 
attempt  to  plant  filbert  orchards  anywhere  in  this  coun- 
try. Nurserymen  have  continued  to  offer  the  choice 
varieties  at  low  prices  per  plant,  and  to  advise  their  cus- 
tomers to  cultivate  filberts  extensively,  even  to  setting 
them  in  hedgerows ;  and  yet  home-grown  filberts  remain 


144  THE   NUT   CULTl'KIST. 

as  rare  in  our  markets  as  they  were  a  hundred  years  ago, 
and  all  due  to  the  simple  reason  that  the  insidious  filbert 
blight  still  scatters  its  spores  unrestrained. 

With  the  present  almost  universal  employment  of 
various  fuDgicides  for  the  destruction  of  blights,  mil- 
dews and  rusts  on  cultivated  fruits  and  vegetables,  we 
may  confidently  assert  that  the  diseases  of  the  filbert 
may  be  readily  controlled  by  the  same  means.  The 
spraying  of  the  trees  with  Bordeaux  mixture  and  other 
copper  solutions  will  certainly  destroy  the  fungus  spores, 
and  with  these  out  of  the  way  filbert  culture  may  be- 
come of  as  much  importance  and  as  popular  here  as  it  is 
in  certain  countries  of  Europe.  In  my  own  experience 
I  have  found  no  other  nut  tree  (barring  always  the 
blight)  that  has  been  more  satisfactory.  The  plants 
come  forward  rapidly,  fruiting  freely  and  abundantly 
when  young,  and  if  properly  trained,  the  crop  can  be 
gathered  with  little  labor,  and  as  it  is  ready  for  use  a 
month  or  more  in  advance  of  the  arrival  of  fresh  nuts 
from  abroad,  the  home  market  during  the  time  is  at  our 
command. 

The  number  of  applications  of  the  fungicides  that 
will  be  necessary  during  the  season  to  rid  the  trees  of 
blight,  or  the  strength  of  the  copper  solution  used,  will 
depend  somewhat  upon  circumstances  and  the  condition 
of  the  subjects  operated  upon.  If  the  trees  are  growing 
near  hedges  of  wild  hazels,  where  there  is  a  constant  or 
annual  influx  of  the  fungus  spores,  then  greater  care 
will  be  required  to  suppress  them  than  if  the  trees  are 
some  distance  from  such  sources  of  contagion ;  and  it 
may  be  well  for  those  contemplating  planting  filbert 
orchards,  to  examine  their  surroundings  carefully  in  ad- 
vance, in  order  to  avoid  local  blight-breeding  plants, 
and  have  these  destroyed  if  any  are  found.  I  would  also 
warn  the  cultivator  against  collecting  branches  of  the 
wild  hazel  in  the  spring,  carrying  pollen-bearing  catkins 


FILBERT   OE   HAZELXUT.  145 

to  be  employed  in  fertilizing  the  pistillate  flowers  of  the 
cultivated  varieties,  for  by  such  means  blight  spores  may 
be  readily  introduced  into  orchard  and  garden. 

It  will  seldom  be  necessary  to  practice  artificial  fer- 
tilization, where  ary  considerable  number  of  trees  are 
grown  near  together,  because  if  ninety  per  cent,  of  the 
male  catkins  are  winterkilled,  the  few  remaining  will  be 
sufficient  to  supply  pollen  for  the  pistillate  flowers. 
In  my  grounds  filberts  have  never  failed  to  produce  an- 
nual crops  after  reaching  a  bearing  age,  although  they 
have  been  subjected  to  great  extremes  of  temperature  in 
winter.  One  year  the  trees  were  in  full  bloom  the  last 
week  in  February,  and  although  cold  weather  followed, 
the  protected  pistillate  flowers  were  not  injured.  The 
winters  of  1894  and  1895  were  among  the  severest, 
in  the  way  of  continuous  low  temperature,  I  have  ever 
experienced  here,  and  while  the  filberts  did  not  bloom 
until  the  first  week  in  April,  the  crop  proved  to  be 
abundant. 

Insects  Injurious  to  Filberts. — My  personal  ob- 
servations lead  me  to  believe  that  the  filberts  and  hazels 
are,  in  this  country,  remarkably  free  from  the  depreda- 
tions of  noxious  insects.  Two  species  of  nut  weevils 
have  been  reported  as  breeding  in  the  wild  hazelnuts, 
viz.,  Balaninus  oltusus,  and  B.  nasicus,  but  among 
the  many  bushels  of  the  European  varieties  of  the  filbert 
produced  in  my  grounds  I  have  never  found  one  infested 
by  a  weevil  or  other  insect.  In  Europe  a  nut  weevil 
(B.  micum)  is  said  to  be  very  destructive  to  the  wild 
hazel,  often  invading  the  filbert  orchards,  and  this 
we  can  readily  believe,  because  they  are  not  at  all  un- 
common in  the  imported  nuts,  but  fortunately  have  not, 
as  yet,  become  naturalized  in  this  country. 

The  great  hazel-leaf  beetle,  or  as  more  generally 
known,  elm-leaf  beetle  (Monocesta  coryli),  has  been 
known  in  a  few  instances  to  attack  and  defoliate  large 
10 


146  THE  :NTT  CULTURIST. 

patches  of  the  wild  hazel  bushes,  but  this  insect  seems 
to  prefer  the  elm,  hence  is  rarely  found  on  the  hazels. 
But  should  it  ever  invade  our  filbert  orchards,  it  can  be 
readily  destroyed  by  dusting  or  spraying  the  trees  with 
Paris  green,  London  purple,  or  other  well-known  in- 
secticides. There  may  be  an  occasional  invasion  of  cat- 
erpillars, like  the  tent  worms,  span  worms,  leaf  rollers  of 
various  species,  and  what  are  called  leaf  miners,  but  as 
these  infest  almost  all  kinds  of  deciduous  trees  and 
shrubs,  we  cannot  consider  them  specially  injurious  to 
the  filberts  and  hazels. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

HICKORY 


Hicoria,  Rafinesque.  Name  probably  fieri  ved  from 
the  aboriginal  or  Indian  word  hickery,  or  hickory,  the 
common  name  for  these  nuts  among  the  tribes  formerly 
inhabiting  the  Middle  and  Southern  Atlantic  States. 

Order,  Juglandace.ee,  (Walnut  family).  —  Native  de- 
ciduous trees  of  large  size,  with  compound  serrate  leaves 
with  an  odd  number  of  leaflets,  varying  from  five  to  fif- 
teen in  the  different  species,  the  three  terminal  ones 
usually  much  the  largest,  the  lower  ones  on  opposite 
sides  of  the  rather  stout  leafstalk.  Male  catkins  slen- 
der, cylindrical,  pendulous,  two  to  six  inches  long,  three 
in  a  cluster,  on  a  naked  peduncle  or  stalk  (Fig.  46) 
springing  from  the  base  of  the  terminal  buds  of  the  pre- 
vious season's  twigs,  and  just  below  the  first  set  of  new 
leaves  in  spring;  calyx  unequally  three-parted  ;  stamens 
three  to  eight.  Female  flowers  two  or  more  in  a  cluster, 
from  the  end  of  the  new  growth  of  the  season,  which 
becomes  the  common  peduncle  or  fruit-stalk  of  a  single 
nut  or  cluster  of  nuts.  The  flowers  are  destitute  of 
petals  ;  stigma  short,  broad,  and  four-lobed  ;  husk  fleshy 
or  leathery,  smooth,  very  thick  in  some  species  and 
thin  in  others,  partly  or  wholly  four-lobed,  opening  in 
some,  allowing  the  nut  to  drop  out  at  maturity,  in  others 
adhering,  falling  off  entire  when  ripe.  Nuts  with  hard, 
bone-like  shell,  round  or  oblong,  smooth  or  deeply  four 
to  six  angled,  somewhat  flattened  or  compressed  in  most 
of  the  species  ;  kernel  two-lobed,  oily,  sweet  and  deli- 
cious, as  in  the  common  shellbark  hickory,  or  extremely 
bitter,  as  in  the  bitter  nut. 

147 


148  THJS   XUT   CULTURIST. 

History. — The  early  white  settlers  of  the  Atlantic 
States  found  the  hickory  nut  in  common  use  among  the 
Indians,  who  gathered  and  stored  them  in  large  quanti- 
ties in  the  fall,  for  food  during  the  winter  months,  and 
while  our  ancestors  who  sought  to  make  homes  in  the 
western  wilderness  may  have  appreciated  these  luxuries, 
they  needed  land  for  cultivation,  and  to  secure  it  the 
forests  were  destroyed,  W7ith  no  thought  of  preserving 
trees  that  would  yield  food  for  themselves  or  succeeding 
generations.  Kot  only  were  the  forests  cleared  away,  as 
things  to  be  banished  from  sight  and  mind,  but  as  the 
hickories  yielded  superior  timber  for  various  agricultural 
and  other  implements,  as  wrell  as  for  fuel,  they  were 
often  sought  for  and  utilized  in  advance  of  the  general 
clearing  of  wood  lands,  and  the  first  to  feel  the  wood- 
man's axe. 

William  Bartram,  in  the  account  of  his  travels 
through  the  Southern  Atlantic  States,  from  1773  to 
1778,  and  published  in  Philadelphia  in  1791,  says,  in 
referring  to  these  nuts,  that  they  are  held  "in  great 
estimation  with  the  present  generation  of  Indians,  par- 
ticularly Juglans  exaltata,  commonly  called  shellbarked 
hickory ;  the  Creeks  store  up  the  latter  in  their  towns. 
I  have  seen  above  an  hundred  bushels  of  these  nuts  be- 
longing to  one  family.  They  pound  them  to  pieces,  and 
then  cast  them  into  boiling  water,  which,  after  passing 
through  fine  strainers,  preserves  the  most  oily  part  of 
the  liquid ;  this  they  call  by  a  name  which  signifies 
'  hickory  milk ;'  it  is  as  sweet  and  rich  as  fresh  cream, 
and  is  an  ingredient  in  most  of  their  cookery,  especially 
in  hominy  and  corn  cakes." 

We  can  readily  imagine  what  a  delicious  liquid 
hickory  milk  must  be  in  which  to  cook  hominy,  rice, 
and  similar  kinds  of  grain  ;  and  there  would  be  no  dan- 
ger from  tuberculosis  in  this  natural  product  of  the  veg- 
etable kingdom.  Perhaps  at  some  future  day,  when 


HICKORY    NUTS.  149 

milch  cows  are  as  rare  in  this  country  as  they  have  been 
for  ages  in  China  and  Japan,  hickory  milk  will  come 
into  vogue  again  and  be  more  highly  valued  by  our  peo- 
ple than  it  ever  was  by  the  aborigines. 

While  we  have  no  romantic  tales  to  repeat  in  which 
either  hickory  trees  or  the  nuts  have  played  an  important 
part,  yet  we  can  well  imagine  that  such  delicious  food 
must,  in  ages  past,  as  well  as  in  our  own  times,  have 
been  a  coveted  luxury,  enjoyed  at  many  a  social  gathering 
of  friends  and  neighbors.     Many  a  country  boy  and  girl 
has  welcomed  the  early  autumn  frosts,  because  they  an- 
nounced the  opening  of  the  nutting  season,  reminding 
them  of  the  long  winter  evenings  near  at  hand,  and  that 
the  industrious  and  nimble  squirrel  was  a  sharp  com- 
petitor in  the  nutting  field ;  consequently,  no  time  could 
be  wasted  if  a  store  of  such  luxuries  was  to  be  gathered 
for  home  use,  or  to  be  sent  to  city  or  village  market  for 
the  benefit  of  less  fortunate  consumers.      It  is  to  be 
hoped  that  this  source  of  pleasure  and  profit  may  con- 
tinue long  after  the  original  forests  of  our  country  have 
disappeared,  and  through  the  preservation  and  planting 
of  the  noble  food-bearing  hickories  by  the  roadsides,  in 
orchards,  also  for  shelter,  shade  and  ornament.     Valua- 
ble as  hickory  timber  and  hickory  nuts  have  always  been 
to  the  inhabitants  of  this  country,  we  might  reasonably 
suppose  that  there  would  be  many  thousands  of  these 
trees  planted  every  year,  in  order  fco  keep  up  a  supply 
and  make  good  the  annual  loss  sustained  in  the  destruc- 
tion constantly  going  on  in  our  forests.     But  no  such 
plantings  appear  to  have  been  undertaken  in  our  North- 
ern States,   and  only  quite  recently  in  the   Southern, 
where  the  pecan  nut  is  attracting  considerable  attention, 
on  account  of  the  increase  in  demand,  and  the  advance  in 
price  obtained  for  them  in  the  markets.     Furthermore, 
with  the  many  millions  of  dollars  expended  by  the  gen- 
eral government  to  encourage  the  planting,  preservation 


150  THE   NUT  CULTURIST. 

and  cultivation  of  forest  trees,  no  special  encouragement 
has  been  extended  to  the  nut-bearing  kinds,  and  the 
man  who  plants  a  cottonwood  or  worthless  willow  is 
given  as  much  credit  as  though  he  planted  and  reared  a 
tree  a  thousand  times  more  valuable  to  himself  and  the 
country  at  large. 

This  may  not  be  a  very  creditable  phase  of  nut  cul- 
ture in  the  United  States,  but  it  is  history,  nevertheless, 
and  to  attempt  to  suppress  it  would  merely  be  encour- 
aging negligence,  which  has  already  become  so  general 
that  the  inferior  varieties  of  hickory  nuts  command  a 
much  higher  price  in  our  markets  than  the  very  choicest 
did  a  few  years  ago. 

The  nomenclature  of  the  walnut  family  has  been 
subjected  to  various  revisions  by  botanists,  during  the 
present  century,  and  there  are  probably  others  yet  to 
follow  in  the  near  or  distant  future.  In  all  other  stand- 
ard botanical  works  published  prior  to  1817-1818,  the 
hickories  were  classed  with  the  butternut,  black  walnut 
and  Persian  walnut,  and  under  the  generic  name  of 
Juglans.  But  in  the  year  1818  Mr.  Thomas  Nuttall,  an 
eminent  English  botanist,  who  had  given  years  to  wan- 
dering through  our  forests  and  studying  American 
plants,  separated  the  hickories  from  the  older  genus  of 
Jitglans,  placing  them  in  a  new  one,  to  which  he  gave 
the  name  of  Carya,  from  an  ancient  Greek  name  of  the 
walnut  tree.  This  classification  of  Nuttall's  was  imme- 
diately adopted  by  the  botanists  of  his  time,  and  has 
been  observed,  scarcely  without  question,  by  the  authors 
of  all  the  numerous  botanical  works  published  in  Amer- 
ica and  Europe  during  the  past  seventy-five  years.  But 
now  we  are  informed  by  some  of  our  noted  botanists 
that,  in  deference  to  the  law  of  priority  dominant  in 
matters  scientific,  "NuttalPs  name  for  this  genus  must 
be  abandoned,  inasmuch  as  Mr.  C.  S.  Rafinesque, 
an  erratic  Frenchman  possessing  considerable  ability 


HICKORY    KUTS.  151 

for  botanical  research,  and  who  came  to  this  country 
several  years  before  Nut  tall, — as  some  recent  investiga- 
tions appear  to  prove, — denned  the  distinct  character- 
istics of  the  hickories,  and  not  only  proposed,  but  pub- 
lished the  name  Hicoria  for  this  genus  in  1817,  while 
Nuttall's  Gary  a  did  not  appear  until  one  year  later,  viz. : 

1818.  For  these  dates  I  am  mainly  indebted  to  Dr.  N. 
L.  Britton,  who  appears  to  have  been  delving  among 
" first  editions"  of   the  works   of   the   authors  named 
(Bulletin,  Torrey  Botanical  Club,  1888). 

It  seems  strange,  however,  at  this  late  date,  that 
such  eminent  botanists  as  the  late  Dr.  John  Torrey  and 
Dr.  Asa  Gray,  who  were  both  intimately  acquainted 
with,  in  fact  associates  of,  Eafinesque,  should  have  ig- 
nored his  rights  in  regard  to  the  name  of  Hicoria,  if  he 
was  really  entitled  to  the  honor  of  founding  this  genus 
and  separating  the  hickories  from  the  Juglans.  But  for 
some  good  reason  they  left  the  matter  in  abeyance,  for 
their  successors  to  settle.  Dr.  Torrey  does,  in  a  way, 
recognize  Kafinesque,  in  his  "Catalogue  of  Plants  With- 
in Thirty  Miles  of  the  City  of  New  York,"  published  in 

1819,  but  in  a  manner  which  shows  that  he  had  no  con- 
fidence in  Rafinesque's  claim,  but  did  approve  of  Nut- 
tail's  classifications  and  name  of  Carya,  for  on  page  74 
he  refers  to  the  hickories  as  follows  :     "  Carya,  Nuttall ; 
HicJcoria,  Rafinesque." 

From  this  it  appears  that  Dr.  Torrey  did  not  adopt 
Hicoria  as  the  proper  mode  of  spelling  this  word,  but 
retained  the  letter  k  in  giving  it  a  Latin  form.  This  is 
not  strange,  inasmuch  as  Rafinesque  had  no  settled  form 
of  his  own,  and  varied  the  spelling  at  different  times ; 
as,  for  instance,  Scoria,  Hicoria,  HicTcorius  and  Hi- 
corias.  It  is  but  reasonable  to  suppose  that  Dr.  Torrey 
was  familiar  with  Rafinesque's  earlier  writings,  and  also 
whether  his  proposed  generic  name  of  Scoria,  in  1808, 
was  legitimate,  or  a  misspelling  of  Hicoria,  as  suggested 


152  THE   XUT   CULTUKIST. 

by  Dr.  Britton.  But  of  one  thing  we  may  rest  assured, 
and  that  is,  Dr.  Torrey  would  not  knowingly  detract 
from,  nor  fail  to  give  every  man  full  credit  for  his  labors 
in  any  branch  of  natural  history  or  elsewhere,  and  he 
certainly  must  have  known  Rafiuesque  in  all  his  eccen- 
tricities and  moods,  for  when  in  New  York  city  he  was 
usually  the  guest  of  Dr.  Torrey,  and  these  relations  con- 
tinued for  many  years. 

A  few  of  our  leading  botanists,  having  recently  de- 
cided that  Rafinesque's  name  of  Hicoria  must  be  re- 
stored, in  deference  to  the  laws  of  priority,  and  NuttaJPa 
Carya  be  relegated  to  the  position  of  a  synonym,  I  have 
concluded  to  adopt  it  in  this  work,  although  1  am  well 
aware  that  a  large  majority  of  our  botanists  have  pro- 
tested against  this  change,  probably  because  of  the  con- 
fusion it  is  likely  to  cause  in  the  botanical  literature  of 
our  times.  My  own  reason  for  adopting  Hicoria  is  not 
so  much  from  any  special  reverence  to  the  laws  of  prior- 
ity, but  because  it  is  derived  from  an  old  American  In- 
dian name,  and  for  all  such  I  have  a  profound  regard, 
and  would  retain  and  adopt  them  whenever  and  wher- 
ever they  are  at  all  appropriate  to  products  indigenous 
to  this  country.  The  hickories  being  purely  American, 
and  unknown  to  Greece  or  Greeks,  a  semi-native  name 
is  all  the  more  acceptable.  It  is  not  to  be  expected  that 
botanical  quibbles  are  of  any  special  interest  to  the  prac- 
tical nut  culturist,  for  a  pecan  or  a  shellbark  hickory 
will  taste  just  as  sweet  and  command  as  high  a  price  in 
market  under  one  scientific  name  as  another;  but  the 
cultivator  may  have  occasion  to  look  up  the  botanical 
name  of  his  trees  in  some  school  botany,  or  other  botan- 
ical work,  and  fail  to  find  it,  in  the  absence  of  some  guide 
to  the  various  changes  that  have  been  made  in  the  name 
of  the  genus,  as  well  as  in  the  name  of  the  synonyms  of 
the  different  species.  Then,  again,  propagators  and 
dealers  in  trees  are  prone  to  employ  unfamiliar  names, 


HICKORY    NUTS.  153 

whether  they  are  old  or  new,  this  adding  to  the  confu- 
sion, without  benefit  to  either  purchaser  or  cultivator. 

To  assist  those  who  may  have  occasion  to  consult 
these  pages  for  either  the  common  or  botanical  names  of 
the  different  species  of  the  hickory,  I  shall. endeavor  to 
give  the  greater  part  of  those  compiled  by  Prof.  C.  S. 
Sargent  (Tenth  Census),  Dr.  Britton,  and  other  emi- 
nent authorities  whose  works  I  have  had  occasion  to 
consult  in  writing  this  treatise.  It  is  not  certain,  how- 
ever, that  these  revisions  and  readjustments  of  the  sci- 
entific names  of  this  genus  of  trees  will  remain  undis- 
turbed for  any  considerable  number  of  years,  for  we 
have  "many  men  of  many  minds"  at  work  in  the  line 
of  botanical  research,  and  it  can  scarcely  be  expected 
that  all  will  reach  the  same  conclusion,  either  in  fact  or 
fancy ;  besides,  it  is  often  difficult,  if  not  wholly  impos- 
sible, to  determine  a  species  from  the  description  given 
by  the  earlier  botanists,  for  they  are  generally  very  brief 
and  vague,  and  will  often  apply  equally  well  to  two  or 
more  species  of  the  same  genus.  In  some  instances  not 
a  word  is  given  in  the  way  of  description,  merely  a 
name,  as  in  " Bartram's  Travels"  (1791),  where  he  speaks 
of  Juglans  exaltata,  a  tall-growing  hickory  found  in  the 
region  through  which  he  was  traveling,  and  we  now 
know  that  it  may  have  been  any  one  of  two  or  three  spe- 
cies indigenous  to  the  Southern  States. 

Under  such  confusing  circumstances  I  shall  make 
no  claim  of  infallibility  in  applying  names  to  species, 
but  attempt  no  more  than  my  predecessors  have  in  the 
same  direction,  and  my  contemporaries  are  now  attempt- 
ing, L  e.,  make  as  close  a  guess  as  possible  as  to  the  spe- 
cies or  variety  of  hickory  which  the  earlier  authors  in- 
tended to  name  and  briefly  describe.  The  date  of  pub- 
lication of  some  of  the  earlier  works  consulted  are  given, 
as  an  earnest  of  my  desire  to  assent  to  the  law  of  priority 
in  such  matters. 


154 


THE   NUT   CCLTURIST. 


FIG.  45.     FOUKTEKN  YEAliS  OLD  PECAIS   THEE  !>'  MISSISSIPPI. 


HICKORY    NUTS.  155 

PECAN  NUT,  ILLINOIS  NUT  (Hicoria  Pecan.  Mar- 
shall).— Leaves  with  thirteen  to  fifteen  leaflets,  oblong- 
lanceolate,  serrate,  pointed;  nuts  mostly  oblong,  smooth; 
husk  thin,  somewhat  four-angled  and  four-valved,  these 
at  maturity  shrinking,  and  falling  apart  when  dropping 
to  the  ground.  Shell  of  nut  generally  thin,  smooth  or 
slightly  corrugated,  varying  widely  in  both  form  and 
size  from  less  than  one  inch  in  length  to  nearly  or  quite 
two  inches,  abruptly  blunt,  or  long  and  sharp  pointed ; 
the  two-lobed  cotyledon  or  kernel  oily,  sweet  and  deli- 
cious. A  large,  tall,  but  usually  slender  tree,  with 
smooth  or  slightly  furrowed  bark,  as  seen  in  Fig.  45. 
Mainly  indigenous  to  river  bottoms  in  the  Southern  and 
Southwestern  States,  extending  northward  to  Indiana, 
Illinois,  Missouri  and  Southern  Iowa. 

Synonyms  and  their  authors  : 

Juglans  Pecan,  Marshall,  Arboretum  Americanum, 
1785. 

Juglans  Pecan,  Walter,  1787. 

Juglans  olivceformis,  Willdenow,  1809. 

Carya  olivceformis,  Nuttall,  1818. 

Juglans  Illinoiensis,  Wangenheim,  1787. 

Juglans  angustifolia,  Aiton,  Hortus  Kewensis. 

Juglans  rubra,  Gaertner. 

Juglans  cylindrica,  Lamarck. 

SHELLBARK  OR  SHAGBARK  HICKORY  (Hicoria  alba. 
Clayton). — Leaflets  mostly  five,  occasionally  seven,  the 
three  upper  ones  obovate-lanceolate,  the  lower  pair  much 
smaller  and  oblong-lanceolate,  as  shown  in  Fig.  46,  all 
taper-pointed,  finely  serrate,  and  slightly  downy  under- 
neath. Terminal  buds  large  and  scaly.  Fruit  globose, 
somewhat  depressed;  husk  smooth,  very  thick,  firm, 
scarcely  shrinking  at  maturity,  but  opening  and  falling 
with  the  nuts  when  ripe.  Nuts  variable  in  size,  mainly 
thin-shelled,  white,  compressed  or  flattened,  four-angled, 
with  deep  corrugations,  blunt,  rarely  sharp-pointed; 


156  THE  xur  CULTUKIST. 


FIG.  46.      nYEAF  AND  STERILE  CATKINS  OF  SHELLBAKK  HICKORY. 


HICKORY    NUTS.  157 

kernel  large,  sweet  and  excellent.  One  of  the  most 
common  and  popular  of  the  indigenous  edible  nuts,  col- 
lected in  large  quantities  as  they  ripen  in  autumn,  for 
home  use  and  for  sale,  as  the  demand  for  this  excellent 
nut  is  almost  unlimited.  A  large  tree,  fifty  to  eighty 
feet  high,  and  stem  one  to  three  feet  in  diameter,  with 
a  shaggy  or  scaly  bark,  which  on  old  trees  may  be  read- 
ily pulled  off  in  long,  shell-like  plates.  Timber  well 
known  as  valuable  for  many  purposes.  This  species  has 
a  very  wide  range,  or  from  Maine  to  Florida  in  the  East- 
ern States,  and  westward  to  Minnesota,  thence  south- 
ward through  eastern  Kansas,  Missouri,  Indian  Territory 
and  eastern  Texas. 

Synonyms : 

Juglans  alba,  Clayton,  Flora  Virginica,  1739. 

Juglans  alba  ovata,  Miller,  Gard.  Diet.,  1754. 

Juglans  alba,  Linn.,  Spec,  pi.,  1754. 

Juglans  alba  ovata,  Marshall,  1785. 

Juglans  compressa  (9),  Willdenow,  1809. 

Juglans  exaltata  (?),  Bartram,  1791. 

Juglans  alia,  Nuttall,  1818. 

Juglans  var.  microcarpa,  Nuttall. 

Juglans  squamosa  (?),  Lamarck. 

Juglans  ovalis  (9),  Wangenheim. 

Although  Clayton,  as  with  most  of  the  earlier  bota- 
nists, fails  to  give  any  description  of  the  foliage  of  the 
hickories  he  mentions,  and  all  have  the  affix  alba  (white), 
yet  his  reference  to  the  form  of  the  nut  and  the  scaly 
bark  of  the  tree  is  sufficient  to  enable  us  to  identify  the 
species  as  that  of  our  common  shellbark  hickory  of  the 
Atlantic  States,  which  extends  through  the  regions 
where  he  gathered  his  botanical  specimens. 

BlG   SHELLBARK,    THICK   OR   WESTERN   SHELLBARK, 

ETC.  (Hicoria  laciniosa.  Michaux). — Leaflets  seven  to 
nine,  obovate-oblong,  finely  serrate,  roughish-downy  or 
pubescent  beneath.  Buds  large,  composed  of  rather 


158 


THE   XUT   CULTURIST. 


loose  grayish  scales  ;  the  young  twigs  stout,  with  a  gray 
bark,  most  noticeable  in  winter.  Fruit  large,  oval  to 
oblong,  usually  four-ribbed  above  the  middle,  with  de- 
pressions between;  husk 
thick,  somewhat  spongy, 
shrinking  at  maturity,  and 
splitting  open  from  Lop  down- 
ward. Nut  large,  with  prom- 
inent ridges,  and  strongly 
pointed,  but  slightly  com- 
pressed at  the  sides,  as  seen 
in  Fig.  47  ;  shell  thick  and  of 
a  dull  yellowish  color ;  kernel 
moderately  large,  as  shown 
across  section  of  nut  in  Fig. 
48,  but  much  smaller  in  pro- 
portion to  the  size  of  the  nut 

FIG.  47.     WESTERN    8HELLBARK.    7.  ,-,  -, . 

than   in  the  two   preceding 

species,  but  ic  is  sweet,  well  flavored,  and  easily  removed 
from  the  shell  when  cracked.  The  very  large  size  of 
these  nuts  makes  them  a  favorite,  especially  where  the 
pecan  and  the  true  shellbarks  are 
not  plentiful.  These  nuts  were 
formerly  known  as  the  Springfield 
or  Gloucester  nut.  A  very  large 
tree,  sixty  to  eignty  feet  high,  and 
two  to  four  feet  in  diameter,  with 
thick,  scaly  bark,  the  scales  some- 
what thicker  than  in  tne  common 
shellbark  hickory  of  the  Atlantic 
States.  A  rare  tree,  except  in  the 
valleys  west  of  the  Alleghanies,  FIG 
although  it  is  reported  to  have 
been  found  in  Chester  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  thence 
west  to  southern  Indiana,  Illinois,  Missouri,  eastern 
Kansas,  and  the  Indian  Territory.  Plentiful  in  the 


SECTION  WEST. 

ERX  SHELLBARK. 


HICKORY    i^UTS.  159 

bottom  lands  along  the  Ohio,  Mississippi  and  lower  Mis- 
souri. Elliott,  in  "Botany  of  South  Carolina  and 
Georgia"  (1824),  says  it  is  rare  in  the  low  country 
of  Carolina,  but  he  does  not  say  that  it  is  found  plen- 
tiful anywhere  in  the  South.  That  he  was  sometimes  in 
doubt  in  regard  to  the  identification  of  this  and  other 
species  may  be  inferred  from  his  remark,  namely  :  "  The 
greater  part  of  our  hickories  resemble  each  other  so 
closely  in  their  leaves  and  vary  so  much  in  their  fruit 
that  it  is  very  difficult  to  discriminate  the  species." 

It  is  this  difficulty  of  identification  which  lias  led  to 
so  much  confusion  in  the  application  of  the  specific 
names,  for  the  earlier  botanists  rarely  had  an  opportu- 
nity of  a  close  and  careful  examination  of  the  trees  or 
other  plants  which  they  attempted  to  describe.  In  rela- 
tion to  the  species  under  consideration,  we  find  that  the 
specific  name  of  sulcata,  so  long  in  use,  was  adopted  by 
Nuttall,  from  some  earlier  or  contemporaneous  author, 
— a  system  he  followed  with  all  the  different  species  of 
the  hickory,  but  without,  in  some  instances,  any  dis- 
crimination or  regard  to  their  adaptation  or  validity. 
If  there  was  anything  to  show  that  Willdenow  (1796) 
had  this  Western  shellbark  in  mind,  or  that  he  or  his 
correspondents  in  this  country  had  ever  seen  or  collected 
it,  then  we^ might  adopt  the  name  of  sulcata  as  the  orig- 
inal and  true  one ;  but  in  the  absence  of  such  informa- 
tion, with  a  full  and  accurate  description  of  the  species 
and  its  habitats  by  Michaux,  under  the  name  of  laciniosa, 
I  think,  in  common  justice  to  one  of  the  most  eminent 
dendrologists  who  ever  visited  this  country,  the  name 
given  should  stand  as  the  true  one  for  this  species.  See 
Michaux,  "North  American  Sylva,"  Vol.  I,  p.  128. 

Synonyms  : 

Juglans  sulcata  (?),  Willdenow,  1796. 

Juglans  laciniosa,  Michaux,  1810. 

Carya  sulcata,  Nuttall,  1818. 

Gary  a  cordiformis,  Koch,  Dendrologie. 


160  THE   NUT   CULTURIST. 

The  three  preceding  species  are  probably  the  only 
ones  worthy  of  propagation  for  their  fruit,  or  that  have 
and  are  likely  to  yield  varieties  of  any  considerable  eco- 
nomic value ;  but  as  it  is  important  that  the  nut  culturist 
should  know  the  materials  he  is  using,  and  whether 
they  be  of  the  best  or  otherwise,  I  shall  admit  all  the 
species,  without  regard  to  their  merits  or  value  for 
cultivation. 

MOCKER  NUT,  BULL  NUT,  BIG-BUD  HICKORY,  KIXG 
NUT,  WHITE-HEART  HICKORY,  ETC.  (Hicorici  tomentosci. 
Michaux). — Leaflets  mostly  seven,  occasionally  nine, 
large,  oblong-obovate,  rather  long  pointed,  slightly  ser- 
rate, smooth  on  both  sides  while  young,  becoming  rough- 
ish  downy  underneath  when  fully  developed  in  summer ; 
leafstalks  and  catkins  also  somewhat  downy.  Fruit 
medium  to  very  large,  round  or  ovoid,  with  a  very  thick 
woody  husk,  which  splits  nearly  or  quite  down  to  the 
base,  but  usually  falling  with  the  enclosed  nut  entire,  or 
bursting  open  as  they  strike  the  ground.  Nut  very 
thick  shelled,  smooth,  or  strongly  four  to  six  angled, 
white  at  first,  but  becoming  a  dull  brown  when  exposed 
to  the  light.  The  kernel  is  sweet,  but  so  small  and 
firmly  imbedded  in  the  thick  shell  that  it  is  only  to  be 
removed  in  minute  sections,  but  this  is  successfully  ac- 
complished by  the  squirrels,  who  often  throw  down  the 
entire  crop  from  large  trees  before  the  shells  harden, 
and  then  pack  them  away  in  the  ground,  in  old  logs, 
and  under  the  leaves,  where  they  will  not  dry  for  some 
weeks  or  months  later.  An  exceedingly  variable  species, 
especially  in  the  size  and  form  of  the  nuts;  on  some 
trees  they  We  scarcely  an  inch  in  diameter,  while  on 
others  they  are  nearly  or  quite  two  inches,  but,  always 
with  such  a  thick,  hard  shell  as  to  be  nearly  worthless 
for  their  meats.  The  largest  of  these  nuts  I  have  ever 
seen  grow  in  central  and  western  New  York,  where 
they  are  called  "King"  or  "Bull"  nuts. 


HICKORY    NUTS. 


161 


FIG.  49.     LEAF  OF  PIGNUT. 


11 


162  THE   NUT   CULTUEIST. 

The  trees  grow  to  a  very  large  size,  or  from  sixty  to 
eighty  feet  high,  and  two  to  three  feet  in  diameter,  with 
a  thick,  deeply  furrowed  bark,  not  scaly.  The  wood  is 
white,  heavy,  tough,  and  nearly  as  valuable  as  the  com- 
mon shellbark  hickory.  The  terminal  buds,  and  espe- 
cially those  on  the  young  seedlings  and  suckers  spring- 
ing up  in  clearings,  are  very  large,  round,  short,  and 
covered  with  brownish  scales,  hence  one  of  the  local 
names  of  big-bud  hickory. 

A  widely  distributed  species,  or  from  the  valley  of 
the  St.  Lawrence  to  Florida,  and  along  the  great  lakes 
to  Nebraska,  and  thence  southward  to  Texas.  Unlike 
most  of  the  other  hickories,  this  species  seems  to -prefer 
thin  soils,  rocky  sandstone  ridges,  and  here  in  New  Jer- 
sey almost  disappearing  in  the  rich  bottom  lands  along 
our  creeks  and  rivers ;  at  least,  this  is  its  habit  here  in 
the  northern  part  of  the  State. 

Synonyms : 

Jnglans  alba  (?),  Linn.,  1754. 

Jnglans  tomentosa,  Michaux,  1810. 

Gary  a  tomentosa,  Nuttall,  1818. 

Gary  a  tomentosa  var.  maxima,  Nuttall. 

Garya  alba*  Koch,  Dendrologie. 

PIGNUT,  HOGNUT,  BEOWN  HICKORY,  BLACK  HICK- 
ORY, SWITCH-BUD  HICKORY  (Hicona  glabra.  Mil- 
ler).— Leaflets  five  to  seven,  mostly  seven  (Fig.  49), 
ovate-lanceolate,  serrate,  smooth;  fruit,  pear-shaped  or 
roundish-obovate ;  husk  very  thin,  splitting  about  half 
way  down  into  four  sections  or  valves,  these  usually  re- 
maining attached  to  the  nut  for  some  time  after  falling, 
in  fact,  may  often  be  found  within  the  husk  all  through 
the  winter;  shell  of  nut  moderately  thin  but  tough^ 
with  a  small,  bitterish-sweet  kernel.  A  large,  rather 
slender  tree  in  similar  and  same  localities  as  the  last, 
with  a  close  bark  but  not  so  deeply  furrowed  as  in  the 
mocker  nut  (H.  tomentosa}.  Of  no  special  value  except 


HICKORY    NUTS. 


163 


FIG.   50.       BITTERNUT. 


164  THE    NUT   CCXTUBIST. 

as  a  timber  tree,  and  its  slow  growth  makes  it  less  de- 
serving of  attention  than  those  species  that  bear  large 
and  edible  nuts. 

Synonyms : 

Juglans  glabra,  Miller,  1768. 

Juglans  alba  acuminata,  Marshall,  1785. 

Juglans  obcordata,  Lamarck. 

Juglans  porcina,  Michaux. 

Juglans  pyriformis,  Muhlenberg. 

Juglans  porcina,  var.  obcordata,  Pursh. 

Juglans  porcina,  var.  pyriformis,  Pursh. 

Carya  porcina,  Nuttall. 

Carya  glabra,  Torrey. 

Carya  amara,  var.  porcina,  Darby. 

BITTERN  TIT,  SWAMP  HICKORY,  PIGXUT  (Hicoria 
minima.  Marshall). — Leaflets  seven  to  eleven,  oblong- 
lanceolate,  serrate,  smooth  and  thin ;  fruit  globular, 
with  distinct  ridges  at  the  seams  (Fig. 
50) ;  the  husk  very  thin,  and  at  ma- 
turity splitting  about  halfway  to  the 
base,  the  four  divisions  becoming  reflexed 
in  maturing,  but  not  separating  and 
falling  apart  as  in  the  thicker-husk  spe- 
cies. Nut  broadest  at  the  top,  sharp- 
FiG.5i.  BITTERNUT.  pointed,  obcordata  (Fig.  51),  slightly 
depressed ;  shell  very  thin,  smooth,  white ;  kernel  in- 
tensely bitter  when  fully  ripe,  but  greedily  eaten  by 
squirrels  when  fresh  or  in  a  half  milky  state.  Usually  a 
medium-sized,  graceful  tree,  with  smooth  bark,  slender 
twigs,  and  small,  oblong  buds  covered  with  a  dense  yel- 
low pubescence  in  winter.  It  grows  in  moist  soils,  along 
streams  and  borders  of  swamps,  and  near  springs  on 
hillsides,  from  Maine  to  Florida,  and  westward  to  Min- 
nesota, Nebraska  and  Kansas.  Humphrey  Marshall  de- 
scribed this  species  so  accurately  in  his  " American 
Grove,"  under  the  name  of  Juglans  minima,  p.  68,  that 


HICKORY    NUTS.  165 

there  is  no  good  reason  to  doubt  its  identity,  nor  question 
the  validity  of  this  name,  which  should  remain  as  the 
true  and  original  one,  and  all  others  of  later  date  be 
placed  among  the  synonyms. 

Synonyms  : 

Juglans  (alba)  minima,  Marshall,  1785. 

Juglans  cordiformis,  Wangenheim,  1787. 

Juglans  angustifolia,  Lamarck,  1791. 

Juglans  amara,  Michaux,  1810. 

Hickorius  amarus,  Rafinesque,  1817. 

Carya  amara,  Nnttall,  1818. 

NUTMEG  HICKORY  (Hicoria  myri&ticceformis.  Mi- 
chaux).— Leaflets  five  to  seven,  ovate-lanceolate,  pointed, 
quite  smooth  on  both  sides,  the  terminal  leaflet  sessile, 
not  stalked ;  fruit  oval ;  husk  wrinkled  and  rough, 
thick ;.  nut  small,  oval,  short-pointed  ;  the  shell  furrowed 
and  very  hard,  and  of  a  brownish  color  marked  with 
white  lines.  Michaux  says  :  "  The  shell  is  so  thick  that 
it  constitutes  two-thirds  of  the  volume  of  the  nut,  which, 
consequently,  is  extremely  hard,  and  has  a  minute  ker- 
nel. It  is  inferior  to  the  pignut. " 

A  medium-size  tree  with  slender  branches,  found  in 
a  few  localities  in  South  Carolina,  near  swamps  and  bor- 
ders of  streams,  and  westward  to  Arkansas,  where  it 
reaches  its  greatest  development.  This  hickory  has 
been  so  rarely  seen  by  botanists  that  Michaux's  specific 
name,  given  it  more  than  eighty  years  ago,  has  fared  a 
better  fate  than  those  of  our  more  common  and  abundant 
species ;  consequently,  I  have  only  one  synonym  to  re- 
cord, viz. :  Carya  amara,  var.  myristicceformis,  Cooper, 
in  Smithsonian  Report,  1858. 

WATER  HICKORY,  SWAMP  HICKORY,  BITTER  PE- 
CAN (Hicoria  aquatica.  Michaux). — Leaflets  nine  to 
thirteen,  generally  eleven,  narrow  and  obliquely  lanceo- 
late-pointed, slightly  serrate,  thin  and  smooth ;  fruit 
globular  or  somewhat  egg-shaped,  four-ribbed ;  husk 


166 


THE   NUT   CULTUEIST. 


thin,  dividing  at  maturity  down  to  the  base ;  nut  thin- 
shelled,  four-angled  ;  kernel  much  wrinkled  and  very 
bitter.  This  is  closely  allied  to  if  not  a  more  Southern 
form  of  our  common  bitternut.  A  small  tree  in  swamps 
and  river  bottoms  from  North  Carolina  south  to  Florida, 
and  west  to  Texas. 
Synonyms  : 

Juglans  aquatica,  Michaux. 
Hicorius  integrifolia,  Kafinesque. 
Gary  a  aquatica,  Nut  tall. 
Gary  a  integrifolia,  Sprengel. 

Varieties  of  the  Hickories. — Every  one  who 
has  ever  had  occasion  to  gather  or  examine  hickory  nuts 
in  the  forest,  or  has  seen  them  in  market,  must  be  aware 
of  the  fact  that  there  is  an  almost  endless  variety  of  each 
and  all  the  different  species.  But  as  it 
is  only  the  varieties  of  the  pecan  and 
thick-  and  thin-shelled  shagbark  hicko- 
ries that  are  likely,  to  be  of  any  economic 
value  to  the  nut  cultur- 
ist,  all  others  will  be  omit- 
ted. Of  the  first  or  pecan 
nut  the  natural  varieties 
are  not  only  exceedingly! 
numerous,  but  vary  wide- 
ly in  size,  form,  thickness 
of  shell,  and  productive- 
ness of  the  individual 
trees.  In  some  the  nuts 
are  produced  singly  or  in  pairs,  and  from  this  number 
up  to  clusters  of  seven  or  eight;  these  large-clustered 
and  extra-prolific  varieties  are  most  worthy  of  special 
attention,  especially  when  the  nuts  are  of  good  size  and 
thin-shelled,  as  in  the  large,  long  pecan  (Fig.  52).  From 
this  size  they  vary,  as  shown  in  Figs.  53,  54,  55.  Some 
of  the  wild  varieties  have  received  local  names,  and  a 


FIG.  52.  LARGE, 
LONG  PECAN  NUT. 


FIG.  53.  OVAL 
PECAN  NUT. 


HICKORY    NUTS.  167 

very  few  propagated  by  grafting,  which  is  probably  the 
most  practical  means  known  of  multiplying  them,  and 
at  the  same  time  preserving  their  varietal  characteristics. 
Choice  and  extra  fine  ones  are  constantly  being  discov- 
ered and  brought  to  notice,  and  doubtless  many  more 
will  follow  as  the  old  fields  and 
forests  of  the  South  and  West  are 
explored ;  besides,  there  are  many 
thousands  of  seedling  .trees  now 
under  cultivation,  and  from  these 
we  may  expect  some  marked  van- 
no.  54.  ations  from  the  original  or  wild  FIG.  55.  LIT- 

SMALLOVAL.    forms<        jn      Bulletin      105?     Of     theTLE  MOBILE 

North  Carolina  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  for 
1894,  and  in  Keport  of  Assistant  Pomologist  of  U.  S. 
Department  of  Agriculture  for  same  year,  we  find  the 
following-named  varieties  of  pecans  : 

ALBA.  —  Size  below  medium,  cylindrical,  with 
pointed  apex ;  cracking  qualities  good ;  shell  of  medium 
thickness ;  corky  shell  lining  thick,  adhering  to  the  ker- 
nel ;  kernel  plump,  light  colored ;  quality  good. 

BILOXI  (W.  R.  Stuart,  Ocean  Springs,  Miss.). — Me- 
dium size,  cylindrical,  pointed  at  each  end;  surface 
quite  regular,  light  brown ;  shell  thin ;  cracking  quali- 
ties medium ;  kernel  plump,  with  yellowish-brown  sur- 
face ;  free  from  astringency,  of  good  quality,  and  keeps 
well  without  becoming  rancid.  Introduced  several  years 
ago  by  W.  R.  Stuart  as  Mexican  Paper  Shell,  but  the 
name  has  since  been  changed  to  Biloxi. 

COLUMBIAN  (W.  R.  Stuart,  Ocean  Springs,  Miss.). 
— Large,  cylindrical,  somewhat  compressed  at  the  mid- 
dle, rounding  at  the  base ;  pointed  and  somewhat  four- 
sided  at  the  crown ;  shell  rather  heavy ;  cracking  qual- 
ities medium  ;  quality  good.  In  size  and  form  this  nut 
closely  resembles  Mammoth,  which  was  introduced  in 
1890  by  Richard  Frotscher,  of  New  Orleans,  La. 


168  THE   NUT    CULTURIST. 

EARLY  TEXAN  (Louis  Biediger,  Idle  wild,  Tex.). — 
Size  above  medium,  short,  cylindrical,  with  rounded 
base  and  blunt  conical  crown  ;  shell  quite  thick,  shell 
lining  thick,  astringent ;  cracking  qualities  medium ; 
kernel  not  very  plump,  of  mild,  nutty  flavor;  quality 
good. 

GEORGIA  MELON. — Size  above  medium,  short, 
rather  blunt  at  apex ;  cracking  quality  medium ;  shell 
rather  thick ;  kernel  plump,  brown ;  meat  yellow,  mod- 
erately tender,  pleasant,  good. 

GONZALES  (T.  V.  Munson,  Denison,  Tex.). — Above 
medium  size,  with  firm,  clear  shell ;  quality  excellent. 
Originated  in  Gonzales  county,  Tex. 

HARCOURT. — Size  medium,  short,  slightly  acorn- 
shaped  ;  cracking  qualities  medium ;  shell  rather  thick, 
but  very  smooth  inside  ;  kernel  short,  very  plump  ;  meat 
yellow,  very  tender,  rich,  very  good. 

LONGFELLOW. — Size  medium,  oblong,  cylindrical, 
somewhat  irregular,  enlarging  from  base  to  near  crown, 
then  sharply  conical  to  the  apex  ;  cracking  qualities  not 
first-class ;  shell  of  medium  thickness ;  kernel  plump 
but  rather  thin,  light-colored;  meat  white,  sweetish, 
rich,  good. 

PRIMATE  (W.  R.  Stuart,  Ocean  Springs,  Miss.)— Of 
medium  size,  slender,  rather  long ;  shell  thin ;  quality 
good;  ripens  in  September,  thirty  days  before  other 
nuts. 

RIBERA. — Size  above  medium,  oblong  ovate  ;  crack- 
ing qualities  good ;  shell  thin ;  kernel  plump,  light 
brown,  free  from  the  bitter,  red,  corky  growth  which 
adheres  to  the  shell ;  meat  yellow,  tender,  with  rich, 
delicate,  pleasant  flavor. 

FAUST. — A  South  Carolina  variety  of  medium  to 
large  size,  medium  shell  and  good  quality. 

FROTSCHER. — A  Louisiana  variety  of  large  size,  very 
thin  shell,  and  plump  kernel  of  good  quality. 


HICKOKY    NUTS. 


169 


FIG.  56.  STUART. 


FIG.  57. 
VAN  DEMAN. 


JEWETT.  —  From    Mississippi;   a    large,    long    nut, 
rather  irregular  ;  shell  medium  ;  quality  very  good. 

STUART.  —  A  large,  roundish,  oblong  nut  from  Mis- 
sissippi (Fig.  56). 

TURKEY   EGG.  —  A 
.variety    from     Florida; 
large  and   thin-shelled. 
VAN   DEMAN.  —A 
large  variety  from  Mis- 
sissippi, of  oblong  form 
and  thin  shell  (Fig.  57). 
From  other  sources 
we  collect  other  names, 
namely  : 

IDLEWILD.  —  An  oval 
shaped    nut  from   Idle- 
wild,  Texas.     Report  of 
^     Sf    Department    of 
Agriculture,  1890. 

RISIEN.  —  A  very  broad,   thick  variety,  about  one 

inch  in  diameter,  very  blunt  at  both  ends.     From  San 

Saba,  Texas  (Fig.  58). 

A  peculiar  shaped 
pecan  nut  is  shown  in 
Fig.  59,  from  Louisiana, 
sent  under  the  name  of 
Lady  Finger. 

From  the  report  of 
the  Georgia  State  Horti- 
cultural Society,  1893,  we 
obtain  certain  local  names 
without  description,  as, 
FIG.  58.  RISIEN.  for  instance,  Turkey  Egg, 

Mexican,  Colorado,  Pride   LADY 
of  the  Coast,  etc.     Col.  W.  R.  Stuart,  of  Ocean  Springs, 
Miss.,  who  has  been  called  the  "father  of  pecan  culture" 


170  THE   NUT   CULTURTST. 

in  that  State,  and  is  the  author  of  "The  Pecan  and 
How  to  Grow  it,"  adds  two  more  varieties  to  the  above 
list,  viz.  :  Beauty  and  Columbia ;  the  latter,  as  figured 
in  the  book  named,  is  a  very  large  variety,  tapering 
from  a  broad  base  to  a  sharp  point.  Judge  Samuel  Mil- 
ler, of  Bluff  ton,  Mo.,  found  some  very  large  and  fine 
varieties  of  the  pecan  in  his  neighborhood  several  years 
ago,  on  the  farm  of  a  man  named  Meyers,  and  he  pur- 
chased the  nuts  from  the  tree  bearing  the  largest  in 
the  grove  and  planted  them,  and  the  seedlings  have 
since  been  distributed  under  the  name  of  "Meyers' 
Pecan." 

Judge  Miller  kindly  sent  me  a  quantity  of  these 
nuts,  from  which  I  raised  some  fifty  or  more  tree?,  and 
all  have  thus  far  been  uninjured  by  the  cold  of  our  sever- 
est winters.  From  my  own  experience  in  raising  pecan 
trees,  and  I  may  add,  that  of  some  of  my  neighbors, 
those  grown  from  nuts  gathered  in  the  more  Southern 
States  are  almost  invariably  tender  here  in  the  North ; 
but  those  raised  from  thoroughly  acclimated  trees,  along 
the  northern  limits  of  this  species,  will  give  us  a  hardy 
race,  and  probably  allow  of  extending  their  cultivation 
far  north  of  their  natural  range.  Those  who  intend  to 
try  pecan  culture  in  the  Northern  States  should  bear 
this  in  mind,  and  secure  nuts  and  cions  from  hardy  ac- 
climated trees. 

Varieties  of  the  Shellbark. — Of  this  species 
(H.  alba)  there  are  as  many  distinct  natural  varieties  as 
of  the  pecan,  and  while  local  or  neighborhood  names  are 
plentiful  enough,  they  have  not,  except  in  a  very  few 
instances,  been  placed  on  record  in  agricultural  reports 
or  other  publications.  Three  small  thin-shelled  varieties 
are  named  in  the  Eeport  of  the  Pomologist  of  the  U.  S. 
Department  of  Agriculture  for  3891,  viz.  :  Milford, 
Shimar  and  Learning,  but  neither  has  been  propagated, 
and  they  are  probably  not  worthy  of  it,  because  there 


HICKORY    NUTS. 


171 


FIG.  60.     THE  ORIGINAL,  HALES'  PAPER-SHELL  HICKORY  TREK. 


172 


THE   XUT   CULTURIST. 


are  plenty  of  larger  ones  with  thin  shells  which  would 
be  far  more  valuable  for  cultivation. 

A  careful  research  extending  over  a  period  of  a 
quarter  of  a  century  yields  only  a  solitary  instance  of 
the  propagation  and  dissemination  of  a  variety  of  the 
shellbark  hickory,  and  this  one  is  -  Hales'  Paper-shell, 
which  I  named,  described  and  figured  in  the  Rural  New- 
Yorker,  Nov.  19,  1870,  p.  382,  Vol.  XXII.  I  am  thus 
particular  in  regard  to  time  and  place,  because  years 
hence  these  facts  may  be  of  more  importance  than  at 
the  present  day. 

The  original  tree  of  this  remarkable  variety  is  grow- 
ing upon  the  farm  of  Mr.  Henry  Hales,  near  Ridgewood, 
N.  J.,  and  on  bottom  land  within 'a. few  rods  of  the 
Saddle  river.  The  tree  is  probably  more  than  a  hun- 
dred years  old,  and  is  about  seventy-five  feet  high,  and 
nearly  two  feet  in  diameter  at  the  base,  and  of  the  shape 
shown  in  Fig.  60,  taken  from  a  sketch  made  in  the  fall 

of    1894.      .There 

are  a  large  num- 
ber of  the  shellbark 

hickories   growing 

near  by,  and  while 

there    are    several 

excellent  and  very 

large    varieties 

among  them,  the  PIQ  62 .SECTIONOF 
FIG.  6i.  HALES'  HICKORY,  one  I  have  named  HALES'  HICKORY. 
is  by  far  the  largest  and  most  distinct  in  form,  and  with 
the  thinnest  shell ;  in  fact,  the  shell  is  much  thinner 
than  in  many  of  the  pecan  nuts  that  reach  our  Northern 
markets  from  the  South.  The  size  and  form  of  these 
nuts  is  clearly  shown  in  Fig.  61,  while  the  thin  shell  and 
thick,  plump  kernel  is  seen  in  the  cross-section,  Fig.  62. 
It  will  be  noticed  that  these  nuts  differ  from  the  ordi- 
nary varieties  of  this  species  in  the  absence  of  the  sharp 


HICKORY   NUTS. 


173 


ridges  and  depressions  running  from  base  to  point,  the 
surface  of  the  shell  being  broken  up  into  irregular,  wavy 
lines,  somewhat  resembling  the  shell  of  the  more  com- 
mon varieties  of  the  Persian  walnuts.  I  have  occasion- 
ally seen  very  similar  varieties, — but 
of  smaller  size, — among  the  mixed  lots 
of  hickory  nuts  on  sale  in  our  city 
markets,  also  oblong  nuts,  as  shown 
in  Fig.  63,  but  of  course  there  is  no 
way  of  tracing  these  to  the  trees  pro- 
ducing them. 

Another  merit,  in  addition  to  the 
large  size  and  thin  shell  of  the  Hales' 
Paper-shell,  is  its  keeping  qualities, 
the  kernels  rarely  becoming  rancid, 
even  when  two  or  more  years  old,  and 

,  .      ,  .,,        ,,    .  FIG.  63.     LONG 

from  a  long  acquaintance  with  this  SHELLBARK  HICKORY. 
nut  and  hundreds  of  other  varieties  gathered  from  all 
parts  of  the  United  States,  I  am  inclined  to  place  it  at 
the  head  of  the  list,  and  as  the  most  valuable  sort  as  yet 
discovered.  It  is  true,  however, 
that  I  have  found  in  the  forests, 
and  also  received,  many  very  large 
and  superior  nuts  of  this  species, 
that  are  well  worthy  of  propagation 
and  cultivation,  but  they  have 
been,  in  the  main,  of  the  typical 
form,  and  not  of  so  distinct  a  type 
as  this  Paper-shell.  Judge  Miller 
sent  me  a  few  nuts  of  a  shellbark 
found  in  Missouri,  that  were  even 
larger,  and  with  fully  as  thin  shell 
as  that  of  the  Hales'  (Fig.  64),  but  upon  making 
further  inquiries  in  regard  to  the  tree  that  produced 
them,  I  learned  that  an  incoming  railroad  line  had 
destroyed  it,  and  thus  one  more  tree  of  inestimable 


FIG.  64.     SHELLBARK 
MISSOURI. 


174 


THE   .NUT   CULTURIST. 


value  had  been  sacrificed  in   the   march  of  this   pro- 
gressive age. 

Varieties  of  the  Western  Shellbark. — The 
typical  form  of  the  thick  or  Western  shellbark  (H.  la- 
ciniosa)  has  already  been  shown  on  a  preceding  page, 
but  some  remarkable  and  valuable  varieties  have  been 
found  in  the  Western  States,  and  no  doubt  others  will 
be,  when  more  attention  is  paid  than  at  present  to  the 
natural  food  products  of  our  forests.  The  tendency  of 
this  species,  in  its  variations,  is  usually  in  the  direction 

of  an  elongation  of  the  nuts, 
even  when  there  is  no  decrease 
in  the  thickness  of  the  shell, 
as  shown  in  Fig.  65,  taken 
from  one  of  a  number  of  long 
varieties  collected  in  the  AVest- 
ern  States  ;  and  while  they  do 
not  possess  any  special  merit, 
they  attract  attention,  owing 
to  their  unusual  form. 

NUSSBAUMER'S  HYBRID. 
— Several  years  ago  I  received 
a  specimen  of  a  very  remark- 
able nut  from  Judge  Samuel 
Miller,  of  Bluffton,  Mo.,  un- 
der the  name  of  "Nussbaum- 
er's  Hybrid  Pecan."  Judge  Miller  informed  me  that  he 
had  received  it  from  Mr.  J.  J.  Nussbaumer,  Mascoutah, 
St.  Glair  Co.,  111.,  who  claimed  that  it  was  a  hybrid 
between  the  pecan  and  the  large  western  shellbark  hick- 
ory (H.  laciniosa).  I  had  an  illustration  made  of  this 
specimen,  and  it  appeared,  with  a  brief  description,  in 
the  American  Agriculturist  for  Dec.,  1884,  p.  546. 
Soon  after  receiving  the  specimen  nut  from  Judge  Miller 
I  opened  correspondence  with  Mr.  Nussbaumer,  and 
learned  from  him  that  only  one  tree  bearing  such  nuts 


FIG.  65.     LONG  WESTERN 
SHELLBARK. 


HICKORY   NUTS. 


175 


FIG.  66.      FRKSH   NUSSBAUMEK  HYBRID. 


176  THE   KTT    CULTUBIST. 

had  ever  been  found,  and  this  was  of  large  size,  six  and 
a  half  feet  in  circumference,  and  about  fifty  feet  high, 
the  bark  somewhat  like  that  of  the  hickory  but  nearer 
the  pecan.  Mr.  Nussbaurner  sent  me  specimens  of  the 
green  nuts  with  leaves  and  twigs,  from  the  original  tree. 
The  nuts,  however,  of  that  season  (1884),  were  badly 
infested  with  the  "hickory-shuck  worm13  (Grapholitha 
caryana,  Fitch),  and  these  had  so  ruined  the  shucks, 
and  even  eaten  into  the  shells  of  the  nuts,  that  few  of 
the  specimens  received  were  fully  developed.  But  from 
two  nuts  I  had  a  sketch  made  while  they  were  fresh  and 
of  natural  size,  as  shown  in  Fig. 

66,  the  dark,  irregular  marks  on 
the    husks     showing    where    the 
shuck  worm  had  attacked  them. 
One  of  these  nuts  is  shown  in  Fig. 

67,  also  natural  size.     I  planted 
one  of  the  nuts,  from  which  I  now 
have  a  tree  about  ten  feet  high, 
but  although  ten  years  old  it  has 
not  fruited,  and,  so  far  as  I  can 
judge  from   its  appearance,  is  a 
pure  Western  shellbark,  with  no 
indication  of    hybridity;    but  of 
course  this  does  not   prove  that 

FIG.  67.  .     .        . 

NUSSBAUMER'S  HYBRID,  the  original  or  parent  tree  is  not 
a  hybrid,  as  claimed  by  Mr.  Nussbaumer,  Judge  Miller, 
and,  if  I  am  rightly  informed,  Prof.  T.  J.  Burrill,  of 
the  University  of  Illinois. 

However  widely  opinions  may  differ  in  regard  to 
the  origin  of  this  variety,  it  is  certainly  a  most  remark- 
able nut,  and  I  regret  that  the  exact  location  of  the 
original  tree  has  entirely  escaped  my  most  careful  seek- 
ing ;  and  of  late  years  I  have  been  unable  to  learn  any- 
thing of  Mr.  Nussbaumer,  further  than  that  he  had 
moved  from  Mascoutah  to  Okawville,  111.,  the  last  letter 


HICKOKY   NUTS.  177 

received  from  him  being  dated  Dec.  13,  1887.  In  one 
of  his  letters  he  said  that  he  had  raised  a  large  number 
of  seedlings  from  this  supposed  hybrid,  and  if  these  are 
still  alive  they  would  be  of  much  scientific  interest,  espe- 
cially if  any  of  them  showed  the  distinct  characteristics 
of  either  of  the  supposed  parents. 

It  would  certainly  be  a  pity  to  have  such  a  remark- 
able nut  lost  to  the  world,  because  if  propagated  by 
grafting  or  by  any  other  mode  to  insure  perpetuating  its 
varietal  characteristics,  its  value  could  scarcely  be  esti- 
mated. The  nuts  are  as  thin-shelled  as  the  common 
pecan,  the  kernel  sweet  and  good,  and  in  addition,  the 
tree  is  a  native  of  a  northern  State,  and  would,  no 
doubt,  prove  as  hardy  as  our  common  shellbark  hickories. 

THE  FLOYD  PECAN. — This  is  another  supposed-to- 
be  hybrid,  and  of  the  same  species  of  hickory  as  the 
last ;  but  the  one  nut  which  I  received  differed  from 
the  Nussbaumer  by  being  somewhat  larger,  and  the  shell 
with  more  prominent  ridges  and  a  little  thicker.  It 
was  said  to  have  been  found  somewhere  in  southern  In- 
diana by  a  Mr.  Floyd,  who,  believing  it  to  be  of  great 
value,  refused  to  give  any  information  likely  to  aid  any 
one  else  to  locate  the  original  tree,  neither  would  he 
part  with  any  of  the  nuts  except  the  one  specimen  which 
eventually  came  into  my  hands.  Of  course  all  horticul- 
turists know  that  seedlings  raised  from  such  freaks 
among  nut  trees  are  far  too  uncertain  to  be  of  much 
value,  but  ignorance  in  such  matters  often  leads  the 
possessor  of  an  article  slightly  differing  from  the  ordi- 
nary to  permit  his  imagination  to  warp  his  good  sense. 

Cultivation  of  the  Hickories. — The  hickories 
have  been  so  seldom  planted  in  our  Northern  States  for 
any  purpose,  that  anything  like  a  systematic  cultivation 
of  these  trees  is  a  thing  almost  unknown.  Of  course 
there  is  no  good  reason  why  the  hickories  should  not  be 
multiplied  and  cultivated  as  well  as  other  kinds  of  trees, 
12 


178  THE   XUT   CULTURIST. 

but  in  some  unknown  way  the  idea  became  prevalent 
that  these  trees  could  not  be  transplanted  with  any  as- 
surance of  success,  and  this  has  been  kept  alive,  either 
through  ignorance  or  by  those  whose  interest  led  them 
to  encourage  the  planting  of  the  rapid-growing  and 
easily  propagated  kinds,  instead  of  those  which,  though 
less  profitable  to  the  producer,  would  be  of  far  greater 
value  to  the  purchaser.  It  must  be  admitted,  however, 
that  the  hickories  are  not  so  tenacious  of  life  as  the 
willows,  poplars,  elms  and  similar  kinds  of  trees,  requir- 
ing more  care  in  their  cultivation  if  they  are  to  be  trans- 
planted when  of  a  proper  size  for  setting  along  roadsides 
or  elsewhere,  for  shade  and  ornament,  but  they  are  cer- 
tainly no  more  difficult  to  make  live  than  the  beech,  oak, 
tulip  and  various  species  of  the  magnolia. 

The  slow  growth  of  the  hickories  while  young  is 
another  objection  often  urged  as  a  fault  of  these  trees, 
but  there  is  nothing  lost  but  time  in  waiting,  and  this 
passes  just  as  swiftly  whether  we  plant  trees  that  may  in 
ten  years  yield  a  golden  harvest,  or  nothing  but  leaves  ; 
besides,  the  hickories  respond  as  readily  to  stimulants 
and  good  care  generally  as  the  common  fruit  trees  of  our 
orchards.  While  the  farmers  of  our  Northern  States 
are  generally  quite  indifferent  as  to  what  becomes  of 
their  old  hickory  trees,  and  seldom  attempt  to  preserve 
the  wild  seedlings  that  spring  up  in  the  fields  and  on 
the  borders  of  forests,  their  fellow  countrymen  of  the 
Southern  States  have,  within  the  past  two  or  three 
decades,  discovered  that  they  possess  an  inexhaustible 
source  of  wealth  in  their  common  pecan  nut.  Formerly 
these  trees  were  sacrificed  whenever  a  choice  piece  of 
tough  timber  was  wanted,  and  often  merely  to  secure 
the  entire  crop  of  nuts  without  waiting  for  nature  to 
drop  them  within  reach  ;  but  the  advent  of  many  lines 
of  railroads,  steamboats,  and  other  means  of  communi- 
cation with  the  great  cities  and  their  markets,  has 


HICKORY   NUTS.  179 

changed  this  inclination  to  destroy  into  one  of  preserva- 
tion. The  old  pecan  trees  are  not  only  appreciated  as  a 
source  of  income,  but  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands 
of  seedlings  are  now  annually  raised  and  planted,  to 
insure  larger  returns  in  the  near  or  distant  future.  In 
fact,  pecan  culture  has  already  become  an  important 
industry  in  several  of  the  Southern 'States,  although  in 
point  of  age  it  is  little  more  than  a  fledgling.  We  have 
no  statistics  to  show  what  the  annual  crop  averages  in 
pounds  or  bushels,  but  it  must  be  something  enormous 
if  we  make  our  estimate  from  the  quantities  received 
and  distributed  in  the  Northern  States.  But  with  all 
the  efforts  put  forth  to  secure  a  supply  of  these  nuts, 
and  the  high  prices  they  command  at  both  wholesale 
and  retail,  the  demand  seems  to  keep  well  in  advance  of 
the  supply,  and  this  will,  in  all  probability,  continue  as 
our  population  increases.  In  the  way  of  demand,  the 
same  is  true  with  our  northern  species  of  the  shell  bark 
hickories,  which  were  formerly  very  abundant,  but  of 
late  years  have  become  rather  scarce,  for  reasons  too 
obvious  to  call  for  any  explanation  at  this  time. 

In  selecting  a  location  for  planting  and  cultivating 
the  hickories,  including  the  pecan,  a  moist,  deep  soil  is 
certainly  preferable  to  any  other,  especially  for  the  three 
species  and  their  varieties  most  promising  for  this  pur- 
pose, because  we  find  them  growing  wild  in  such  situa- 
tions and  soils.  But  while  these  naturally  deep,  rich 
and  moist  soils  are  to  be  preferred,  no  one  need  hesitate 
to  plant  hickories  on  light,  dry,  and  even  poor  soils,  if 
they  are  properly  enriched,  or  a  few  shovelfuls  of  fine 
old  stable  manure  is  thoroughly  mixed  with  the  earth  in 
which  the  roots  are  set,  and  then  a  mulch  applied  to 
the  surface  to  keep  the  soil  moist.  Almost  any  old 
waste  fibrous  material,  such  as  leaves,  straw,  hay,  weeds 
or  coarse  manure,  will  answer  for  mulching  newly  planted 
trees,  and  it  should  be  applied  to  a  depth  of  three  or 


180  THE   NUT   CULTURIST. 

four  inches,  and  renewed  annually,  or  as  often  as  neces- 
sary to  prevent  the  growth  of  grass  or  weeds  growing 
within  three  or  four  feet  of  the  stem  of  the  tree.  In  all 
dry  climates  and  soils  mulching  should  be  considered  an 
important  operation,  not  to  be  omitted  until  the  trees 
are  from  six  to  ten  years  old,  and  it  may  usually  be  con- 
tinued a  longer  time  with  benefit. 

Propagation. — All  the  species  of  the  hickory  are 
very  readily  grown  from  nuts  gathered  when  ripe  and 
planted  within  a  few  weeks  ;  or  they  may  be  mixed  with 
or  stratified  between  layers  of  sand  and  light  soil  and 
buried  in  the  open  ground  for  the  winter,  and  the  plant- 
ing deferred  until  the  following  spring.  They  are  not 
at  all  delicate  and  will  withstand  considerable  drying 
and  neglect,  and  will  grow,  if  stored  in  a  cool  cellar, 
without  being  packed  in  either  soil,  sand  or  other  mate- 
rial. But  as  I  have  had  no  occasion  to  determine  how 
much  neglect  these  nuts  will  withstand,  nor  to  what 
extremes  of  adverse  conditions  it  is  safe  to  subject  them, 
I  shall  leave  investigation  in  this  direction  to  others, 
because  in  general  practice  no  valuable  seed  or  plant 
grows  any  too  readily  and  freely  to  satisfy  the  cultivator, 
and  for  this  reason  I  recommend  either  planting  hickory 
nuts  in  the  fall,  or  burying  them  between  layers  of  light 
soil  or  sand,  sifting  out  and  planting  early  the  fol- 
lowing spring.  If  any  considerable  quantity  is  to  be 
planted  they  should  be  dropped  three  or  four  inches 
apart  in  shallow  trenches  and  covered  about  two  inches 
deep.  The  distance  between  the  rows  may  be  from  two 
to  three  feet,  depending  upon  the  implements  to  be  used 
in  their  cultivation. 

The  soil  for  a  seedbed  should,  of  course,  be  made 
rich  and  deep,  or  the  same  as  recommended  for  chest- 
nuts, and  all  the  means  usually  employed  to  assist  the 
growth  of  cultivated  plants  are  applicable  to  nut  trees. 
1  may  also  add  that  cutworms,  white  grubs  and  other 


HICKORY    NUTS.  181 

noxious  insects  are  enemies  of  nut-tree  seedlings  as  well 
as  garden  vegetables.  The  seedling  hickories  should 
be  treated  as  advised  for  chestnuts ;  that  is,  dug  up 
when  one  or,  at  the  latest,  two  years  old,  and  their 
central  or  taproot  shortened  to  at  least  one-half  their 
original  length,  and  then  reset  in  nursery  rows,  and  at 
a  distance  of  twelve  to  fifteen  inches  apart  in  the  row. 
If  grown  in  ordinary  upland,  the  transplanted  seedlings 
will  make  a  better  growth  if  heavily  mulched  than  un- 
der the  usual  system  of  clean  cultivation,  and  it  is  usu- 
ally less  expensive ;  besides,  by  keeping  the  surface  of 
the  soil  cool  and  moist,  we  encourage  and  assist  the  pro- 
duction of  fibrous  lateral  roots,  which,  as  a  rule,  are 
none  too  abundant  on  seedling  hickories,  no  matter 
under  what  conditions  or  system  of  cultivation  they 
are  raised. 

When  the  seedlings  have  grown  in  the  nursery  rows 
two  or  three  years,  they  will  probably  be  large  enough 
for  planting  where  they  are  to  remain  permanently  ;  but 
if,  for  any  reason,  they  are  not  disposed  of,  then  they 
should  be  again  transplanted, — the  larger  roots  short- 
ened,— and  re-set  in  good  rich  soil.  The  object  of  trans- 
planting is  to  insure  the  production  of  small  fibrous 
roots,  and  a  frequent  renewal  of  the  same,  close  to  the 
main  stem  or  stock,  as  long  as  the  trees  remain  in  the 
nursery,  whether  this  be  two  or  twenty  years.  This 
is  somewhat  of  an  expensive  operation,  but  the  value  of 
stock  thus  handled  is  enhanced  far  more  than  the  cost 
of  such  transplanting,  and  purchasers  are,  or  at  least 
should  be,  willing  to  pay  a  fair  price  for  such  trees. 

It  is  the  natural  habit  of  the  hickories,  as  well  as 
many  other  kinds  of  deciduous  trees,  to  produce  in  their 
earlier  stages  of  growth  rather  large,  deeply  penetrating, 
naked  roots,  with  few  small  fibers,  and  in  this  condition 
they  are  not  so  readily  and  successfully  transplanted  as 
the  kinds  possessing  a  more  ramified  root  system.  This, 


182  THE   NUT   CULTURIST. 

perhaps,  has  misled  many  persons  to  believe  that  certain 
kinds  of  trees,  like  the  hickories,  could  not  be  moved  at 
all,  or  at  least  not  with  any  assurance  of  being  made  to 
live.  This  idea  has  become  so  prevalent  among  inex- 
perienced cultivators,  and,  I  regret  to  add,  often  reiter- 
ated by  theorists,  that  it  has  discouraged  many  who 
otherwise  would  have  raised  and  planted  nut  trees  in 
preference  to  other  kinds. 

Admitting  that  it  is  the  general  habit  of  most  kinds 
of  forest  trees  to  produce  deeply  penetrating  taproots, 
when  grown  from  seed,  it  proves  nothing  more  than 
that  these  parts  may  be  of  some  importance  to  the  plants 
while  they  are  young,  and  under  natural  conditions,  yet 
they  are  not  absolutely  necessary,  and,  at  most,  are  only 
temporary  organs,  like  the  tails  of  tadpoles,  always  dis- 
appearing with  maturity. 

Any  one  at  all  observing,  and  having  had  an  oppor- 
tunity of  examining  limited  or  extended  areas  of  forest 
trees  thrown  over  by  hurricanes,  must  have  noticed  that 
no  tree  of  any  considerable  size  and  age  possessed  a  tap- 
root, but  had  been  for  years  kept  in  its  upright  position 
by  lateral  brace-roots,  and  through  these  it  had  also 
obtained  nutriment  from  the  surface  soil.  Some  of  my 
correspondents  in  the  South  have  expressed  their  sur- 
prise at  not  finding  any  trace  of  the  original  central 
roots  on  old  pecan  trees,  when  blown  over  by  severe 
wind  storms.  But  it  is  the  same  everywhere  with  forest 
trees  and  where  the  soil  is  naturally  loose  and  moist : 
the  principal  or  supporting  roots  spread  out  widely  and 
remain  near  the  surface,  and  the  central  roots- or  taproots 
disappear  much  earlier  than  in  dry  soils. 

In  multiplying  trees  under  artificial  conditions,  we 
remove  the  taproots,  not  only  for  convenience  in  trans- 
planting, but  also  to  hasten  and  increase  the  production 
of  surface  lateral  roots,  and  more  than  this,  we  lessen 
the  years  of  luxuriant  sterility,  securing  earlier  fruit- 


HICKORY   NUTS.  183 

ing  by  such  operations  as  root  pruning  and  frequent 
transplanting. 

Budding  and  Grafting. — I  have  never  known  of 
an  instance  of  successful  budding  of  the  hickory,  at  least 
in  the  ordinary  way  during  the  summer  months.  What 
is  called  "annular  budding"  in  early  spring  with  buds 
of  the  previous  season,  is  said  to  have  been  successfully 
practiced  with  the  pecan  at  the  South,  but  this  mode  of 
propagation  is  more  of  the  nature  of  grafting  than  of 
what  is  usually  understood  as  budding.  But  I  have 
been  unable  to  obtain  any  statistics  in  regard  to  the  pro- 
portion of  buds  that  any  propagator  or  experimenter  has 
made  live  by  this  or  other  modes  of  propagation.  Col. 
Stuart  says,  in  "The  Pecan,"  p.  45,  "There  is  a  method 
known  as  '  annular  budding,'  which  proves  quite  suc- 
cessful." He  then  proceeds  to  describe  the  operation, 
as  given  in  all  works  on  the  propagation  of  trees  and 
plants  during  the  past  hundred  years  or  more,  but  not  a 
word  to  indicate  what  he  considers  a  "success," — 
whether  it  be  once  or  fifty  times  in  a  hundred,  or  if  he 
ever  succeeded  in  making  an  annular  bud  unite  to  the 
stock ;  I  am  more  inclined  to  think  that  he  never  did/ 
than  otherwise. 

In  Bulletin  No.  105,  "Nut  Culture  for  North  Car- 
olina," issued  from  the  N.  C.  State  Experiment  Station, 
1894,  Mr.  W.  A.  Taylor,  Assistant  Pomologist  U.  S. 
Department  of  Agriculture,  in  referring  to  budding  and 
grafting  of  these  trees,  says:  "These  latter  operations 
are  less  successful  with  the  pecan  than  most  fruit  trees, 
though  they  are  by  no  means  impossible  to  accomplish. 
On  seedlings  one  or  two  years  old  annular  budding  in 
early  summer  succeeds  best."  But  here  again  we  are 
left  in  doubt  in  regard  to  what  the  writer  considers  "a 
success."  Then,  again,  the  line  between  the  "possible" 
and  "impossible,"  in  horticultural  matters,  is  a  rather 
difficult  one  to  determine,  and  Mr.  Tavlor  fails  to  cite  a 


184  THE    NUT    CULTUKIST. 

single  instance  in  which  either  annular  or  any  other 
form  of  either  budding  or  grafting  had  been  successfully 
/practiced.  The  Bulletins  issued  from  the  Division  of 
Pomology  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture,  give  us  no 
information  whatever  on  this  subject  of  propagation  of 
the  hickories,  further  than  to  repeat  the  old  formulas  of 
annular.,  splice  and.  cleft  grafting  ;  but  as  to  results  they 
have  always  been  provokingly  silent. 

Having  been  repeatedly  assured,  by  men  who  pre- 
sumed to  know,  that  the  pecan  tree  was  successfully 
propagated  in  the  South  by  grafting,  and  many  thou- 
sands annually  raised  in  this  way,  it  seems  strange  that 
such  plants  are  so  rarely  offered  by  nurserymen.  Seed- 
lings of  choice  varieties  are,  of  course,  abundant  enough, 
but  a  man  might,  with  as  much  propriety,  offer  seedling 
Bartlett  pears  or  Baldwin  apples,  as  pecan  trees,  expect- 
ing to  perpetuate  varieties.  In  corresponding  with  Mr. 
P.  J.  Berckmans,  of  the  Fruitland  Nurseries  of  Augusta, 
Ga.,  whose  experience  and  acquaintance  with  the  fruits 
of  the  South  are,  without  doubt,  in  advance  of  any  other 
horticulturist  of  the  past  or  even  the  present  generation, 
*in  reply  to  my  request  for  information  on  grafting 
pecans,  he  writes  :  "For  the  past  five  or  six  years  we 
have  grafted  various  varieties  of  the  pecan  nuts.  I  do 
not  know  of  any  other  nurseryman  South  who  offers 
grafted  trees.  I  presume  the  reason  of  this  is,  the 
great  difficulty  in  having  the  grafts  take,  as  we  seldom 
have  more  than  fifteen  to  twenty-five  per  cent  grow. 
We  usually  crown  graft  in  February,  using  one-year-old 
seedlings  grown  in  nursery  rows.  Owing  to  the  small 
percentage  of  grafts  which  grow,  grafted  trees  must, 
necessarily,  be  quite  expensive,  and  for  this  reason  there 
are  so  few  attempts  made  in  this  method  of  propagation." 

Mr.  Berckmans  makes  no  reference  to  annular  bud- 
ding of  the  pecan,  so  strongly  and  frequently  recom- 
mended by  the  several  writers  already  quoted,  although 


HICKORY    NUTS.  185 

I  am  certain  that  he  is  as  familiar  with  this  mode  of 
propagation  as  any  one  else,  and  would  have  practiced 
it  had  he  found  it  in  any  way  superior  to  crown  graft- 
ing. From  all  that  I  have  been  able  to  learn  through  a 
rather  extended  correspondence,  in  regard  to  the  propa- 
gation of  the  pecan  nut  tree  in  the  South,  I  conclude 
that  they  are  occasionally  and  sparingly  grafted,  but 
with  such  indifferent  results  that  they  are  not  at  all 
numerous  in  either  orchards  or  nurseries. 

From  certain  remarks  of  Col.  Stuart,  in  his  essay 
on  "Pecan  Culture,"  I  infer  that  he  has  sold  grafted 
trees,  for  he  says:  "It  costs  no  more  to  care  for  the 
grove  of  choice  trees  than  of  poor  ones ;  then,  again,  the 
grafted  or  budded  ones  come  into  profitable  bearing 
three  years  earlier  than  seedlings.  Here  is  a  case  in 
point :  Last  November  (1892)  we  paid,  in  cash,  two 
hundred  and  forty-eight  dollars  for  the  nuts  which  grew 
upon  one  tree,  the  crop  of  one  year.  The  tree  is  twenty 
inches  through  at  its  base,  and  forty-five  feet  high;  such 
a  size  tree  would  grow  in  twenty  or  twenty-five  years. 
Now  small  nuts  from  the  same  size  tree  will  sell  for  not 
more  than  fifteen  to  twenty  dollars.  Another  tree  only 
ten  years  old  bore  thirteen  and  a  half  dollars  worth. 
These  choice  nuts  are  such  as  we  grow  seedlings  from  ; 
we  sell  a  great  many  more  seedlings  than  we  do  grafted 
or  budded  trees,  simply  because  they  are  so  much 
cheaper,  and  people  in  general  do  not  realize  that  such  a 
vast  difference  exists  between  the  profits  of  seedling  and 
grafted  or  budded  trees  ;  but  such  is  the  case,  and  such  it 
will  always  remain  for  aught  we  can  see."  Soon  after  I 
published  the  description  of  the  Hales'  Paper-shell  hick- 
ory in  1810,  requests  for  cions  were  received  from  nur- 
serymen and  many  amateur  horticulturists,  who  were 
anxious  to  try  their  skill  in  grafting  this  excellent  vari- 
ety. Mr.  Hales  generously  responded,  and  sent  cions  to 
a  large  number  of  correspondents  in  various  parts  of  the 


186  THE   KUT   CULTURIST. 

country,  because  he  was  desirous  of  having  the  variety 
preserved  and  propagated.  During  the  following  ten 
years  the  old  original  tree  was  kept  pretty  well  pruned, 
in  filling  orders  for  cions ;  those  sent  to  nurserymen 
were  to  be  raised  on  shares,  one-half  of  all  the  success- 
fully grafted  trees  to  be  returned  to  Mr.  Hales.  Being 
a  near  neighbor,  my  opportunities  for  keeping  informed 
as  to  the  result  of  this  arrangement  was  all  that  I  could 
desire.  To  one  nursery  firm  in  central  New  York  Mr. 
Hales  sent  about  one  thousand  cions  per  annum  for  four 
successive  years,  and  in  return  received  just  four  feeble 
grafted  plants  as  his  share  of  the  total  product  of  the 
four  thousand  cions.  But  as  the  four  plants  received 
soon  died,  he  closed  that  account  as  one  of  total  loss. 
Previously,  however,  he  had  sent  a  quantity  of  cions  to 
Mr.  J.  R.  Trumpy,  of  the  Kissena  Nurseries,  Flushing, 
N.  Y.,  whose  skill  as  a  propagator  of  ligneous  plants  is 
probably  second  to  that  of  no  man  in-this  country;  the 
result  proved  that  our  faith  in  the  man  was  not  mis- 
placed, for  Mr.  Hales  received  for  his  share  of  the  ex- 
periment something  over  two  dozen  grafted  trees,  and 
most  of  these  are  now  handsome  specimens  ten  to  twenty 
feet  high.  Just  what  percentage  of  the  cions  set  were 
made  to  unite  and  grow  I  have  not  been  informed,  but 
the  experiment  was,  doubtless,  rather  unsatisfactory  .as  a 
commercial  transaction. 

In  addition  to  the  plants  sent  to  Mr.  Hales,  there 
have  been  quite  a  number  distributed  among  the  cus- 
tomers of  the  nurseries  named ;  consequently,  we  are 
pretty  well  assured  of  the  perpetuation  of  this  remark- 
ably fine  variety,  even  when  the  original  tree  succumbs 
to  old  age,  or  should  it  be  accidentally  destroyed.  I  am 
inclined  to  give  Mr.  Trumpy  credit  for  being  the  first 
man  to  graft  the  shellbark  hickory  in  this  or  any  other 
country,  and  make  the  cions  unite  and  grow,  for  I 
have  failed  to  find  any  instance  of  success  in  this  mode 


HICKORY   NUTS.  187 

of  propagating  these  trees,  prior  to  his  with  the  Hales' 
Paper-shell. 

In  reply  to  a  note  sent  him  a  few  months  since,  ask- 
ing:  "How  did  or  do  you  graft  the  hickories?"  he 
replied  as  follows  :  "I  put  the  hickory  stocks  in  pots  in 
the  spring,  and  graft  them  the  following  spring,  say  in 
April,  and  in  the  house.  The  cions  are  cut  during  the 
winter,  so  as  to  keep  them  in  good  order  until  wanted 
for  use.  I  find  it  is  better  to  operate  in  April  than 
earlier  in  the  winter.  I  also  graft  them  out  of  doors 
about  the  beginning  of  May,  when  the  stocks  are  grow- 
ing. They  will  succeed  very  well  out  of  doors,  provided 
the  stocks  are  large  enough  for  the  cions.  Any  kind  of 
grafting  will  do,  but  crown  grafting  is  the  best.  I  have 
not  done  much  of  late  in  the  way  of  grafting  hickories 
in  the  nursery,  not  having  suitable  stocks  ;  besides,  when 
the  weather  becomes  warm  enough  for  outside  work,  veg- 
etation pushes  far  too  rapidly  to  give  a  man  a  chance  to 
do  much  of  this  kind  of  grafting." 

Since  the  above  was  written  and  while  these  pages 
were  being  put  in  type,  Mr.  Jackson  Dawson,  of  the 
Arnold  Arboretum,  Jamaica  Plain,  Mass.,  has  given  his 
method  of  grafting  the  hickories,  in  Garden  and  Forest, 
Feb.  19,  1896,  as  follows  : 

"My  method,"  writes  Mr.  Dawson,  "has  been  to 
side-graft,  using  a  cion  with  part  of  the  second  year's 
wood  attached,  binding  it  firmly  and  covering  it  with 
damp  sphagnum  until  the  union  has  been  made.  The 
best  time  I  have  found  for  the  operation  under  glass  has 
been  during  February,  and  the  plants  have  been  kept 
under  glass  until  midsummer,  and  wintered  the  first 
year  in  a  cold  frame.  In  all  the  genera  I  find  certain 
species  which  may  be  called  free  stocks, — that  is,  stocks 
which  take  grafts  more  readily  than  others.  Thus, 
nearly  all  the  oaks  will  graft  readily  on  Quercus  Robur  ; 
the  birches  will  graft  more  easily  on  Betula  alba  than 


188  THE   NUT   CULTUlilST. 

on  others  ;  so  of  the  hickories,  observation  has  led  me 
to  believe  that  the  best  stock  is  the  bitternut,  Hicoria 
minima.  This  species  grows  almost  twice  as  rapidly  as 
the  common  shagbark  hickory,  and  while  young  the 
cambium  is  quite  soft.  I  should  advise  anyone  who 
wishes  to  propagate  hickories  on  a  large  scale  to  grow 
stocks  of  this  species  in  boxes  not  more  than  four  inches 
deep.  In  this  way  all  the  roots  can  be  saved  and  there 
will  be  no  extreme  taproot,  and  when  shaken  out  of  the 
boxes  the  plants  are  easily  established  in  pots  and  ready 
for  grafting.  If  taken  up  in  the  ordinary  way  from  the 
woods,  it  requires  almost  two  years  to  get  them  well 
rooted,  and  often  the  stocks  die  for  want  of  roots  after 
the  grafts  have  really  taken.  If  grown  in  rich  soil,  the 
stocks  will  be  large  enough  to  use  in  one  or  two  years. 
I  should  then  pot  them  early  in  the  fall,  keeping  them 
from  heavy  frosts,  and  bringing  them  into  the  house 
about  the  first  of  January,  and  as  soon  as  they  begin  to 
make  roots.  I  should  side-graft  them  close  to  the  collar 
and  plunge  them  in  sphagnum  moss,  leaving  the  top 
bud  of  the  graft  out  to  the  air.  The  graft  ought  to  be 
well  united  about  the  last  of  March,  when  the  plants 
should  be  taken  from  the  sphagnum  and  set  in  the  body 
of  the  house  to  finish  their  growth." 

All  who  have  had  any  experience  in  the  propagation 
of  trees  by  grafting  in  spring,  are  well  aware  of  the  flight 
of  time,  in  the  hurry  of  work  that  must  be  done  in  a 
few  days  or  not  at  all.  It  is  true  that  the  season  for 
grafting  may  be  prolonged  or  extended  a  little  by  cut- 
ting the  cions  in  winter  and  storing  them  in  a  cool, 
moist  place,  where  they  remain  dormant  after  vegetation 
has  started  in  the  open  air ;  but  this  does  not  affect  the 
stocks,  and  these  may  come  on  slowly  or  rapidly,  varying 
with  the  seasons,  and  the  grafter  must  not  only  watch 
for  opportune  moments,  but  take  his  chances  of  striking1 
the  right  time  and  conditions.,  in  order  to  be  successful. 


UICKORY    NUTS. 


189 


With  such  hard  wood  trees  as  the  hickories  it  is  better 
to  be  a  little  ahead  of  time  than  a  few  days  too  late,  for 
frosts,  and  even  quite  a  severe  freeze,  will  not  injure  a 
dormant  cion,  and  under  the  most  favorable  conditions 
the  union  between  stock  and  cion  is  a  rather  slow  pro- 
cess. For  this  reason  I  advise  giving  as  much  time  <us 
possible,  and  while  I  do  not  claim  to  having  had  any 
personal  experience  as  a  grafter,  in  the  South,  still  I  am 
inclined  to  think  that  grafting  in  the  fall,  and  not  later 
than  December,  would  be  preferable  to  later  in  winter 
or  spring.  By  giving  the  cion  and  stock  two  or  three 


FIG.  68.     CROWN  GRAFTING  ON  ROOTS  OF  THE  HICKORY. 

months  in  which  to  form  granulations  and  cohesion, 
there  would  be  more  certainty  of  success.  Of  course,  I 
now  refer  to  what  is  called  crown  grafting  on  the  root 
below  the  surface  of  the  ground,  and  when  the  cion  is 
fixed  in  place  with  the  usual  ligatures  of  waxed  paper  or 
cloth,  the  soil  is  drawn  back  into  place  and  the  cion 
entirely  covered  with  it,  but  very  lightly  over  the  ter- 
minal bud. 

Where  small  stocks  are  not  at  hand,  the  roots  of 
large  trees  may  be  severed  and  the  end  partly  lifted 
towards  the  surface,  as  shown  in  Fig.  68,  and  when 


190 


THE   NUT   CULTURIST. 


grafted,  allowed  to  remain  in  position  until  the  follow- 
ing season,  and  then  taken  up  entire  or  with  roots 
enough  to  insure  future  growth.  The  same  or  a  simi- 
lar process  may  be  practiced  to  propagate  a  choice  vari- 
ety of  the  hickory,  and  a  mere  severing  of  the  roots  will 
insure  the  production  of  suckers  from  near  the  severed 
end,  as  shown  in  Fig.  69. 

In  grafting  isolated  stocks  in  this  way,  a  small  or 
large  stake  should  be  placed  by  the  side  of  each,  to  indi- 


FIG.  69.     SPROUTS   FROM  SEVERED  HICKORY  ROOTS. 

cate  their  position,  and  also  protect  them  from  being 
trampled  upon.  I  make  this  suggestion  because,  in  my 
own  experience,  it  has  often  proved  successful  with  va- 
rious kinds  of  hard-wooded  trees  and  shrubs  that  failed 
when  grafted  in  the  spring.  Here  in  the  North  it  is 
rather  difficult,  as  well  as  expensive,  to  protect  cions  set 
in  the  open  ground  in  the  fall ;  but  in  the  South  it  is 


HICKORY   XUTS.  191 

different,  and  a  handful  of  almost  any  coarse  litter  would 
be  sufficient  to  prevent  severe  freezing. 

But  grafting  in  the  fall  in  the  open  ground  is  un- 
necessary, where  small  seedling  stocks  are  used  in  the 
propagation  of  any  kind  of  tree  ;  in  fact,  nurserymen  do 
very  little  grafting  of  this  kind  in  spring,  for  they 
learned,  by  long  experience,  that  the  most  economical 
and  certain  method  of  multiplying  such  trees  is  to  take 
up  the  stocks  in  the  fall,  and  then  graft  them  indoors 
during  the  winter,  having  stocks  and  cions  stored  in 
cool  cellars  or  pits,  where  they  will  be  readily  accessible 
when  wanted.  Apples,  pears,  quinces,  grapes,  and 
many  other  kinds  of  hardy  trees,  shrubs  and  vines  are 
now  extensively  propagated  by  grafting  during  the  win- 
ter months,  and  I  do  not  know  of  any  good  reason  why 
the  hickories  and  other  closely  allied  nut  trees  should 
not  be  multiplied  in  this  way.  I  have  tried  it,  on  a  lim- 
ited scale,  with  the  shellbark  hickories,  and  with  fair 
success,  and  in  my  opinion  it  is  the  only  way  by  which 
the  hickories,  including  the  pecan,  can  be  multiplied 
cheaply  enough  to  become  of  commercial  importance. 

The  small  stocks  of  one  or  two  years  old  should  be 
taken  up  in  the  fall,  and  then  crown  grafted  any  time 
from  December  to  March  in  the  Northern  States,  but 
the  earlier  the  better ;  then  pack  away  the  grafted  stocks 
in  moss  or  soil,  in  a  cool  cellar,  or  heel-in  elsewhere,  as, 
for  instance,  in  pits  or  frames,  where  they  will  not  be 
frozen,  and  yet  cool  enough  to  prevent  active  growth. 

In  the  spring  the  grafted  stocks  should  be  planted 
out  in  nursery  rows,  and  deep  enough  to  have  the  top  of 
the  cion  just  level  with  the  surface  after  the  soil  has 
been  settled  about  it  by  a  shower  or  heavy  rains.  The 
plants  must  be  handled  with  care,  so  as  not  to  disturb 
the  cions.  Mulching  will,  of  course,  be  beneficial  in 
dry  seasons,  and  especially  if  the  stocks  are  set  in  ordi- 
nary well-drained  soils.  In  selecting  wood  for  cions, 


192  THE   XUT   CULTURIST. 

twigs  of  the  previous  season's  growth  are  usually  pre- 
ferred, but  it  is  not  necessary,  nor  is  it  advisable  to  dis- 
card all  except  the  extreme  end  of  the  shoot  or  that 
containing  a  terminal  bud,  as  some  writers  have  advised, 
to  prevent  rapid  loss  of  moisture  by  evaporation,  for  a 
drop  of  wax  will  seal  the  end  of  a  cion  as  thoroughly 
and  effectually  as  a  natural  bud  ;  besides,  the  lower  part 
of  the  annual  twigs  is  often  more  firm  and  really  better 
for  grafting  than  the  upper  and  less  sturdy  wood,  and 
the  lateral  buds  on  it  will  push  just  as  readily  as  the 
terminal  one.  The  cion  may  be  three  or  four  inches 
long,  and  contain  two  or  more  buds.  The  sealing  of 
the  upper  end  of  a  cion  that  is  not  protected  by  a  ter- 
minal bud  is  certainly  important  with  all  of  the  hick- 
ories, for  in  this  genus  of  trees  the  pith  is  large  and 
continuous,  not  intersected  or  cut  off  by  a  thin  partition 
of  wood  at  the  joints,  as  seen  in  many  trees,  shrubs  and 
vines.  This  large  and  continuous  pith  in  the  hickories 
is  another  reason  why  the  cions  succeed  best  if  set  below 
the  crown  and  in  or  on  the  fleshy  roots  having  no  pith. 
They  may  be  set  on  one  side,  as  in  splice  grafting,  or  in 
the  center,  or  in  a  cleft  made  for  their  reception  with  a 
sharp  knife,  then  bound  with  waxed  paper,  or  wrapped 
with  bass,  raffia,  or  other  similar  material,  and  after- 
wards covered  with  melted  wax  to  exclude  air  and  water 
from  the  joints  and  wounds. 

In  this  mode  of  grafting  hickories  it  is  not  neces- 
sary to  employ  the  entire  root  or  stock,  if  it  is  of  large 
size,  for  a  single  cion  ;  for  pieces  of  from  six  to  twelve 
inches  long,  containing  a  few  lateral  fibers,  will  answer 
the  purpose,  and  it  will  be  found,  in  practice,  that  these 
sections  of  the  large  fleshy  roots  contain  so  much  vital- 
ity that,  if  the  cions  set  in  them  fail  to  grow,  they  will 
throw  up  sprouts  from  adventitious  buds  during  the 
ensuing  summer.  Almost  any  fair-sized  piece  of  root 
left  in  the  ground,  when  digging  up  hickory  trees  large 


HICKORY   NUTS.  193 

or  small,  is  pretty  certain  to  throw  up  sprouts,  this  not 
only  showing  their  great  vitality,  but  that  propagation 
by  root  cuttings  is  perfectly  practicable  and  may  be  util- 
ized whenever  and  wherever  it  may  be  desirable.  The 
man  who  attempts  to  raise  hickories  from  root  cuttings 
must  have  patience,  for  very  frequently  the  cuttings 
will  remain  apparently  dormant  in  the  ground  one  entire 
season  before  the  sprouts  appear  above  the  surface.  I 
will  also  add  that  this  slow  or  retarded  germination  fre- 
quently occurs  with  the  nuts,  especially  if  they  have 
become  somewhat  dry  before  planting. 

For  commercial  purposes  root-grafting  small  stock, 
as  described,  during  the  fall  and  winter,  gives  promise 
of  being  the  best  and  most  practicable  system  of  multi- 
plying varieties ;  but  there  is  much  yet  to  be  learned  in 
regard  to  details,  and  hundreds  of  carefully  conducted 
experiments  may  be  necessary  to  determine  the  exact 
time,  condition  and  mode  of  operation.  It  may  be  that 
very  early  grafting  is  better  than  late,  or  that  we  have 
not,  as  yet,  found  the  best  species  for  stocks,  and  that  a 
half-ripened  one  will  be  preferable  to  one  fully  matured. 
Neither  has  it,  as  yet,  been  determined  what  kind  of 
material  is  best  in  which  to  store  the  grafted  roots  :  sand, 
soil  or  sphagnum  (moss)  from  the  swamps ;  or  whether 
they  should  be  kept  very  moist,  or  comparatively  dry ; 
very  cold,  or  moderately  warm.  Here  is  a  wide  field  for 
experiments,  and  a  most  interesting  one ;  for  the  suc- 
cessful propagation  of  the  hickories  by  any  mode  that 
will  insure  the  perpetuation  and  rapid  multiplication  of 
varieties,  means  millions  of  dollars  added  to  the  wealth 
of  the  country. 

Age  of  Fruiting. — We  hear  much  of  the  preco- 
ciousness  of  pecan  trees  in  the  South,  and  many  are 
reported  as  coming  into  bearing  at  the  age  of  six  to  ten 
years  from  the  time  of  planting  the  nut ;  but  these  are 
probably  exceptional  instances  of  early  fruiting  and  not 
13 


194  THE   XUT   CULTUR1ST 

the  rule,  although  in  a  favorable  soil  and  climate  it  is  to 
be  expected  that  such  trees  will  push  forward  more  rap- 
idly than  under  less  favorable  conditions.  Grafted  trees 
will,  of  course,  produce  fruit  in  less  time  than  seedlings, 
and  as  this  mode  of  propagation  becomes  more  general, 
and  repeated  in  a  direct  ancestral  line,  the  cions  for  each 
successive  generation  of  trees  being  taken  from  mature 
or  bearing  specimens,  the  precocious  and  productive 
habit  will  eventually  become  intensified,  as  it  has  been 
in  all  of  our  long-cultivated  fruit  trees  propagated  by 
artificial  methods.  We  have  so  intensified  the  produc- 
tiveness of  many  kinds  of  cultivated  fruits  by  selection, 
that  it  has  become  more  of  a  fault,  than  a  merit  to  be 
encouraged. 

The  nut  trees  are  amenable  to  the  same  physiolog- 
ical laws  as  other  kinds,  and  in  their  propagation  by 
grafting  with  cions  from  bearing  specimens  we  hasten 
maturity  in  the  offspring.  This  has  been  fully  demon- 
strated in  many  varieties  of  the  Persian  walnuts  and 
European  chestnuts.  Here  in  the  Northern  States  we 
have  had  so  little  experience  with  grafted  hickories  of 
any  species,  that  really  nothing  is  yet  known  as  to  how 
they  will  respond  to  this  mode  of  propagation,  further 
than  that  they  grow  rapidly  and  give  promise  of  being 
fruitful.  Seedling  trees  are,  as  a  rule,  of  slow  growth, 
rarely  attaining  a  bearing  age  and  size  under  twenty 
years,  and  with  the  shellbarks  thirty  or  forty  years  usu- 
ally pass  before  anything  like  a  crop  of  nuts  is  gathered. 
Something  may  be  gained,  in  the  way  of  time,  by  fre- 
quent transplantings  and  pruning,  but  more  by  grafting 
seedlings  from  old  and  mature  trees.  Two  grafts  of  the 
Hales'  hickory  commenced  bearing  at  the  age  of  sixteen 
years. 

Planting  for  Profit. — There  are,  doubtless,  many 
thousands  of  acres  of  half-denuded  woodlands  in  almost 
every  State  in  the  Union,  both  North  and  South,  that 


HICKORY  NUTS.  195 

could  be  readily  utilized  for  growing  hickory  timber, 
and  much  of  such  lands  is  almost  useless  for  other  pur- 
poses ;  but  timber  culture  and  forestry  is  a  subject 
which  I  have  discussed  elsewhere,*  while  the  object  of 
this  work  is  to  aid  my  readers  in  producing  something  that 
may  be  utilized  as  food.  When  the  hundreds  and  thou- 
sands" of  miles  of  our  public  highways  are  shaded  with 
hickory  and  other  nut-bearing  trees  of  the  best  species 
and  varieties,  it  will  be  time  enough  to  begin  planting 
such  kinds  elsewhere.  As  roadside  trees  they  cannot 
fail  to  be  profitable,  largely  enhancing  the  value  of  ad- 
joining land ;  for  in  addition  to  being  equally  as  orna- 
mental as  other  kinds,  they  yield  fruit  always  in  demand 
at  remunerative  prices.  The  three  species  of  the  hick- 
ory and  their  varieties  recommended  for  cultivation  all 
thrive  best  in  moist  soils,  but  by  occasional  watering  or 
thorough  mulching  they  will  succeed  almost  anywhere, 
especially  in  naturally  dry  locations. 

Insect  Enemies. — The  hickories,  as  with  all  other 
nut-bearing  trees,  have  numerous  insect  enemies,  but 
these  are  neither  so  numerous  nor  destructive  as  to  seri- 
ously interfere  with  their  growth  in  general,  or  with 
their  productiveness.  Insects  may  occasionally  become 
exceedingly  numerous  in  certain  localities  for  a  few 
years,  then  suddenly  or  slowly  disappear;  but  this  we 
must  expect,  as  one  of  the  coexisting  phases  of  all  agri- 
cultural pursuits. 

Collectively  the  hickories  have  no  considerable  num- 
ber of  destructive  insect  enemies,  but  if  we  count  all  the 
species  of  the  various  orders  that  have  been  found  occa- 
sionally, or  otherwise,  feeding  on  the  leaves,  buds,  fruit, 
twigs,  bark,  or  boring  in  the  solid  wood,  they  make  a 
very  formidable  list  of  names,  or  about  one  hundred  and 
seventy-five  in  all ;  but  fully  ninety  per  cent  of  these 

*  Practical  Forestry. 


196 


THE   NUT   CULTURIST. 


depredators  are  scarcely  known,  except  to  a  few  profes- 
sional entomologists,  and  unless  they  become  more  de- 
structive in  the  future  than  they  are  at  present,  or  have 
been  in  years  past,  nut  culturists  have  little  to  fear  from 
their  depredations.  Among  the  most  common  species 
of  insects  injurious  to  the  hickory,  the  following  may 
prove  most  annoying  to  the  cultivator. 

THE  HICKORY-TWIG  GIRDLER  (Oncideres  cingula- 
tus.  Say). — A  small  yellowish-gray  beetle,  a  little  less 
than  an  inch  long,  usually  appearing  in  this  latitude 
during  August,  the  females  depositing  their  eggs  in  the 
twigs  of  from  a  quarter  to  a  half-inch  in  diameter. 
On  old  large  trees  the  loss  of  a  few  or 
many  of  these  is  scarcely  noticed ;  but  on 
young  seedlings  or  grafted  stock  it  is  quite 
a  different  affair,  for  on  such  plants  the 
females  usually  select  the  leader  in  prefer- 
ence to  the  lateral  twigs  in  which  to  de- 
posit their  eggs.  The  female  girdles  the 
twigs  for  the  purpose  of  providing  proper 
and  acceptable  food  for  her  progeny ;  that 
is,  first  the  green,  then  the  slowly  drying, 
then  the  perfectly  hard,  seasoned  hickory 
or  whatever  kind  she  may  have  attacked. 
Selecting  a  suitable  twig,  she  rests  upon 
it,  usually  with  head  downward  (Fig.  70),  and  with  her 
mandibles  cuts  out  a  ring  of  bark  about  one-twelfth  of 
an  inch  wide,  and  deep  enough  to  reach  the  firm  wood 
^nderneath.  The  place  selected  for  this  annular  inci- 
c^n  may  be  only  a  few  inches  from  the  terminal  bud,  or 
;*•  foot  below  it,  and  in  some  instances  she  will  cut  two 
incisions  on  the  same  twig  some  distance  apart,  but 
usually  there  is  only  one  on  a  twig.  While  cutting  this 
incision  she  will  sometimes  rest  long  enough  from  her 
labors  to  deposit  an  egg  in  the  bark  above.  The  num- 
ber of  e£gs  she  deposits  in  the  twig  is  probably  variable, 


FIG.  70. 


HICKORY    HUTS.  197 

but  three  full-grown  grubs  is  the  most  I  have  ever  found, 
and  the  larger  proportion  examined  had  only  one.  This 
girdling  of  the  twig  prevents  the  flow  of  sap,  and  the 
leaves  soon  wither  and  drop  off,  and  the  bark  and  wood 
shrivel  and  become  hard  and  dry ;  but  in  the  mean- 
time the  eggs  have  hatched  and  the  minute  grubs  have 
bored  their  way  through  the  soft  bark  and  reached  the 
pith,  feeding  in  this  while  acquiring  size  and  strength 
of  jaws  that  will  enable  them  to  consume  more  solid 
food  later  and  during  the  succeeding  winter,  spring  and 
summer.  Some  do  not  reach  maturity  until  the  second 
summer  ;  at  least,  in  this  latitude,  as  I  have  found  after 
very  careful  observation  and  while  collecting  many  hun- 
dreds of  specimens.  I  will  say,  however,  that  this  in- 
sect is  usually  referred  to  by  entomologists  as  rather 
rare,  and  in  general  it  is,  but  some  years  ago,  in  an  old 
clearing  near  by  where  there  was  a  great  number  of 
young  hickory  seedlings  and  sprouts,  it  was  for  a  season 
or  two  very  abundant ;  then  it  suddenly  disappeared, 
and  I  have  not  taken  a  half-dozen  specimens  since.  The 
grubs  bore  out  the  wood  in  the  infested  twig,  and  in 
most  instances  so  completely  as  to  leave  only  a  thin  shell 
of  the  wood  or  bark,  by  the  time  they  have  reached  ma- 
turity and  are  ready  to  pass  into  their  imago  or  perfect- 
winged  stage. 

This  species  of  twig  girdler  also  attacks  the  apple, 
pear,  persimmon,  elm,  and  other  kinds  of  trees,  and 
with  those  like  the  apple,  with  a  soft  and  brittle  wood, 
the  girdled  twigs  are  frequently  broken  off  by  the  winds  ; 
but  this  rarely  occurs  with  the  hickories,  and  we  can 
usually  find  the  stumps  remaining  on  the  trees  years 
after  the  beetles  have  emerged.  The  only  way  to  keep 
this  pest  in  check  is  to  cut  off  and  burn  the  girdled 
twigs  any  time  before  the  larvae  have  reached  maturity, 
and  as  the  girdled  dead  twigs  are  readily  seen,  tl|e  gath- 
ering is  not  difficult,  from  medium-sized  trees. 


198  THE   KUT   CULTURIST. 

THE  PAINTED  HICKORY  BORER  (Cyllene  pictus. 
Drury). — This  is,  perhaps,  one  of  the  most  common  and 
widely  distributed  of  all  the  hickory  borers,  but,  so  far 
as  my  observations  have  extended,  it  rarely  attacks 
young  or  healthy  trees  of  any  age  ;  in  fact,  I  have  never 
found  it  in  or  about  growing  trees,  but  I  have  seen  it, 
by  the  thousands,  breeding  in  decaying  specimens  and 
in  hickory  cordwood  cut  during  the  winter  months  and 
ranked  up  in  shady  places.  A  hickory  tree  cut  down  in 
fall  or  winter,  and  left  on  the  ground  or  cut  up  into 
cordwood,  is  pretty  sure  to  attract  this  borer  early  in 
spring,  the  females  swarming  over  the  bark,  depositing 
their  eggs  upon  it,  and  by  the  ensuing  autumn  the  wood 
will  be  fairly  honeycombed  if  this  insect  is  at  all  abun- 
dant. The  general  color  of  the  beetle  is 
black,  and  the  size  as  shown  in  Fig.  7i. 
There  are  three  narrow,  whitish  bands 
across  the  top  of  the  thorax,  and  one 
slightly  broader  band  at  the  extreme  point 
of  the  wing-covers ;  but  the  next  band  is 
FIG.  71.  in  the  form  of  an  inverted  V  ;  the  point 
HICKORY  BOREK.  Of  the  A  does  not  quite  touch  the  broad 
lateral  band,  as  in  the  closely  allied  species  known  as 
the  locust  borer  (C.  robinia),  with  which  it  is  often 
confounded ;  besides,  in  the  latter  the  markings  are  of  a 
deep  yellow,  and  not  white  or  of  a  faint  yellowish  tinge. 
The  hickory  borer  always  appears  in  spring,  and  the 
locust  borer  in  the  fall,  not  later  than  September  in  this 
part  of  the  country.  Below  or  behind  the  V-shaped 
band  there  are  three  others,  but  all  broken  up  into  mere 
dots,  and  not  continuous. 

In  the  South,  and  especially  in  Texas,  there  is  a 
somewhat  smaller  but  closely  allied  species  (Cyllene 
crinicornis)  that  attacks  the  pecan  tree  and  its  wood  in 
the  same  way  as  our  common  hickory  borer,  but  in  the 
Southern  or  Southwestern  species  the  bands  on  the 


HICKORY    NUTS.  i'J(J 

wing-covers  are  all  interrupted  or  broken  up  into  small 
white  spots  or  dots.  I  have  no  remedy  to  suggest,  fur- 
ther than  to  cut  down  old,  infested  trees,  and  to  haul 
the  wood  out  into  the  sun  and  spread  it  out  where  it 
will  quickly  dry  and  become  seasoned.  If  the  felled 
tree  and  wood  is  stripped  of  its  bark  as  soon  as  cut,  the 
female  beetles  will  not  deposit  their  eggs  upon  it. 

There  are  other  long-horned  beetles  (Cerainbycidce) 
that  are  occasionally  found  breeding  in  the  hickories, 
and  among  these  may  be  named  the  Belted  Chion  (Chion 
cinctus],  Tiger  Goes  (Goes  tigrinus),  Beautiful  Goes 
(Goes  pulchra),  and  the  Orange  Sawyer  (Elaphidion 
inerme),  but  they  are  usually  quite  too  rare  to  be  con- 
sidered as  very  destructive  insects. 

HiCKOKY-BARK    BORER  (ScotytuS  k-SplUOSUS.       Say). 

— Only  once  within  my  memory  has  this  minute  but 
destructive  beetle  appeared  in  any  considerable  num- 
bers in  my  neighborhood,  although  I  have  occasionally 
received  a  few  specimens  from  correspondents  in  various 
parts  of  the  country,  even  as  far  west  as  the  Pacific  coast 
in  Washington.  This  borer  is  a  very  small,  cylindrical, 
dark  brown  beetle,  about  one-fifth  of  an  inch  or  less  in 
length,  and  one-sixteenth  in  diameter.  The  hind  part 
of  the  body  is  quite  blunt  (truncate),  the  males  having 
four  short  but  distinct  blunt  spines,  two  on  each  side, 
projecting  from  the  hind  part  of  the  abdomen,  hence 
the  name  "4-spinosus."  In  the  females  these  spines 
are  absent,  otherwise  they  closely  resemble  the  males. 
These  bark  borers  usually  appear  here  in  the  Northern 
States  the  last  of  June  or  early  in  July,  and  both  sexes 
attack~hickory  trees  of  all  species,  but  appear  to  prefer 
the  old  and  nearly  mature  trees  to  the  young  and  small 
with  thinner  bark.  After  boring  through  the  bark  and 
reaching  the  soft  cambium  layer  underneath,  cipon 
which  these  insects  feed,  the  female  cuts  a  vertical  chan- 
nel in  this  substance,  of  little  over  an  inch  in  length. 


200 


THE    NUT   CULTURIST. 


This  burrow  is  a  little  larger  than  the  diameter  of  her 
body,  and  along  on  both  sides  she  deposits  her  eggs,  to 
the  number  of  ten  to  thirty,  placing  about  an  equal 
number  on  each  side.  When  these  eggs  hatch,  the  young 
larvae  begin  to  feed  on  the  soft  material  by  which  they 
are  surrounded,  making  minute  burrows  at  first,  and  at 
nearly  right  angles  with  the  parent  one ;  but  as  they 
increase  in  size  they  are  forced  to  diverge,  those  above 
the  center  working  upward,  and  those  below  downward, 
as  shown  in  Fig.  72.  These  burrows  enlarge  as  the 

grubs  increase  in  size,  as 
shown,  most  of  them 
reaching  their  full  devel- 
opment by  the  time  cold 
weather  sets  in,  but 
some  do  not  cease  feed- 
ing until  spring,  then 
pass  to  the  pupal  stage, 
and  later  to  the  perfect 
or  beetle  form,  and  from 
the  extreme  end  of  these 
burrows  they  bore  a  hole 
straight  out  to  the  sur- 
face, and  are  then  ready 
to  begin  the  cycle  of  life 
again,  either  on  the  tree 
from  which  they  have 
emerged,  or  others  near  by.  Some  fifteen  years  ago  I 
noticed  that  the  leaves  of  some  of  the  old  hickory  trees 
on  my  place  were  turning  yellow  prematurely,  and  upon 
examination  I  found  the  bark  perforated  with  minute 
holes  not  larger  than  small  bird  shot,  indicating  the 
presence  of  the  bark  borer  under  consideration.  Seven 
of  the  very  largest  and,  presumably,  the  oldest,  appeared 
to  be  affected,  and  these  were  immediately  cut  down  and 
stripped  of  their  bark,  exposing  the  little  grubs  to  the 


FIG.  72.     BURROWS  OF  HICKORY 
SCOLYTUS. 


HICKORY    NUTS.  201 

air  and  attacks  of  insect-eating  birds.  These  trees  ap- 
peared to  have  been  infested  for  several  years,  as  there 
was  scarcely  a  spot  on  the  surface  of  the  wood  that  had 
not  been  scarified  with  this  pest.  Since  the  destruction 
of  these  trees  I  have  not  been  troubled  with  bark  borers, 
although  there  are  still  a  number  of  very  old  and  large 
hickories  thriving  in  the  same  grove.  The  only  remedy 
I  can  suggest  is  to  cut  down  infested  trees  as  soon  as 
they  are  discovered,  and  also  encourage  the  insect-eating 
birds  to  remain  in  and  near  the  nut  groves. 

There  are  several  other  species  of  bark  borers  that 
occasionally  attack  hickories,  one  of  these,  the  Chrame- 
sus  icorice,  Leconte,  infests  the  small  twigs,  while 
another,  the  Sinoxylon  basilare,  Say,  after  boring 
through  the  bark,  continues  its  course  far  into  the  heart- 
wood,  showing  a  preference  for  this  kind  of  food  instead 
of  the  living  tissues.  These  pests,  however,  are  rarely 
constant,  but  very  erratic,  in  their  attacks,  and  while 
they  may  be  rather  abundant  on  a  few  or  many  trees  a 
season  or  two,  they  then  disappear,  and  not  one  may  be 
seen  for  several  decades. 

THE  HICKORY-SHUCK  WORM  ( GrapholUUa  caryana. 
Fitch). — The  parent  of  this  pest  is  a  minute  moth  of 
the  family  TortricidcB,  the  small  caterpillars  mining  and 
boring  the  green  husks,  and  sometimes  into  the  imma- 
ture shell,  causing  the  nuts  to  wither  and  drop  off  pre- 
maturely, although  an  occasional  one  may  reach  matu- 
rity, even  in  its  scarified  condition.  This  insect  appears 
to  be  somewhat  rare  in  the  East,  but  very  abundant 
some  years  in  the  West,  where  it  is  frequently  destruc- 
tive to  the  thick  shellbark  hickory  and  pecan.  The  first 
fresh  specimens  of  the  Nussbaumer  Hybrid  pecan  nut 
(referred  to  on  a  preceding  page)  were  so  badly  bored 
and  scarified  by  this  worm  when  received,  that  they 
would  have  been  nearly  or  quite  worthless  for  either 
planting  or  other  purposes.  As  this  insect  attacks  the 


202  THE   NUT   CULTURIST. 

nuts  on  the  very  largest  trees  in  the  forest  and  elsewhere, 
I  cannot  suggest  any  other  remedy  than  to  gather  the 
immature  and  infested  nuts  as  they  fall,  and  burn  them, 
with  their  contents. 

Among  the  larger  Lepidoptera  (butterflies  and 
moths)  there  are  many  species,  the  caterpillars  of  which 
occasionally  feed  on  the  leaves  of  the  hickories,  but  not 
exclusively ;  consequently,  they  cannot  be  considered  as 
the  special  enemies  of  this  genus  of  trees.  When  they 
do  attack  them,  it  is  as  much  due  to  accident  as  design. 
This  is  certainly  true  with  the  great  Luna  moth  (Attacus 
luna)  and  the  American  silk  worm  (Telea  polyphemus), 
and  various  species  of  the  Catocala,  as  well  as  the  Tent 
caterpillar  (Clisiocampa  sylvatica). 

There  is  also  a  hickory-nut  weevil,  closely  allied  to 
the  species  infesting  the  chestnut ;  and  while  not  quite 
as  large,  its  habits  are  similar,  and  its  ravages  may  be 
checked  by  the  same  or  similar  means.  The  grubs  bore 
into  the  green  nuts,  causing  some  to  fall  before  half- 
grown  ;  others  may  remain  in  the  nuts  until  they  are 
ripe  and  gathered  in  the  autumn ;  consequently,  per- 
forated hickory  nuts  are  not  at  all  rare,  even  on  the 
stands  of  venders  in  our  cities. 

Bud  worms,  leaf  miners,  leaf  rollers  and  plant  lice, 
— and  among  the  latter  several  gall-making  species, — are 
to  be  found  on  the  hickories ;  but  with  all  these  natural 
enemies  to  contend  writh,  the  hickories  thrive,  grow,  and 
yield  their  fruits  in  greater  or  less  abundance.  To  enu- 
merate, describe  and  illustrate  all  the  insects  known  to 
be  enemies  of  the  hickory  would  require  a  large  volume, 
but  fortunately  there  are  many  special  works  published 
on  the  insects  injurious  to  vegetation,  and  these  are 
readily  obtainable  by  all  who  may  have  occasion  to  con- 
sult their  pages. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE    WALNUT. 

Juglans.  The  ancient  Latin  name,  first  used  by 
Pliny,  contracted  from  Jovis  glans,  the  nut  of  Jove  or 
Jupiter.  A  genus  of  about  eight  species,  three  or  four 
of  these  indigenous  to  the  United  States. 

Order,  JuglandacecB  (Walnut  family). — Medium  to 
large  deciduous  trees  with  odd-pinnate  leaves ;  leaflets 
from,  fifteen  to  twenty-one,  serrate,  mainly  oblong  and 
pointed.  The  sexes  of  flowers  separate  (monoecious)  on 
the  same  tree,  the  males  in  pendulous  green  cylindrical 
catkins  two  to  three  inches  long,  solitary  or  in  pairs, 
sessile, — not  stalked,  as  in  the  hickories, — issuing  from 
the  one-year-old  twigs,  and  at  the  upper  edge  of  the  scar 
left  by  the  falling  leaf  of  the  previous  season  (Fig.  73), 
showing  that  the  male  organs  emanate  from  an  aggrega- 
tion of  bud-cells  in  the  axils  of  the  leaves  during  the 
preceding  summer  and  autumn.  Female  flowers  ter- 
minal on  the  new  growth  in  spring,  also  single,  in  clus- 
ters, and  occasionally  in  long  pendulous  racemes  with  a 
four-cleft  calyx,  four  minute  petals  and  two  thick  curved 
stigmas.  Fruit  round  or  oblong  (Fig.  74) ;  husk  thin, 
drying  up  without  opening  by  seams,  as  in  the  hickories. 
Shell  of  nut  either  rough  and  deeply  corrugated,  with 
sharp-pointed  ridges,  or  quite  smooth,  with  an  undulat- 
ing, wavy  surface,  very  thick  in  some  species  and  thin 
in  others ;  kernel  two-  or  indistinctly  four-lobed,  united 
at  the  apex,  fleshy,  rich  and  oily. 

History. — The  common  walnut,  so  long  and 
widely  known  in  commerce  under  various  names,  such 

203 


204 


THE   NUT   CULTUR1ST. 


as  Persian,  English,  French,  Italian  and  European  wal- 
nuts, also  as  Madeira  nut,  and  recently  Chile  walnut, 
are  now  all  believed  to  have  descended  from  trees  native 
of  Persia,  most  plentiful  in  the  province  of  Ghilan  on 
the  Caspian  sea,  between  latitude  35°  and  40°,  hence  the 


FIG.   73.      PERSIAN    WALNUT,  SHOWING    POSITION    OF    SEXUAL    ORGANS. 

old  Grecian  name  of  the  fruit,  viz. :  Persicon  and  Basil- 
icon,  or  Persian  Eoyal  nut,  probably  because  either 
introduced  by  the  Greek  monarchs,  or  sent  to  them  by 
the  Persian  kings.  Later, — according  to  Pliny, — the 
Greeks  called  the  trees  Caryon,  on  account  of  the  strong 


THE   WALNUT. 


205 


FIG.  74.     BEARING  BRANCH  OF    ENGLISH  WALNUT. 


206  THE- NUT   CULTUBIST. 

scent  of  the  foliage,  and  from  this  name  Nuttall  coined 
his  word,  Carya,  for  our  indigenous  hickories,  as  ex- 
plained in  the  preceding  chapter.  It  should  also  be 
noted  here  that  the  elder  Michaux,  in  1782-4,  was  the 
first  modern  botanist  to  visit  the  province  of  Ghilan,  and 
he  determined,  by  personal  investigation,  that  this  spe- 
cies of  the  walnut  was  really  indigenous  to  that  region 
of  country,  along  with  the  peach  and  apricot. 

Earlier  European  authors  claim  that  the  walnut 
was  first  introduced  into  Italy  by  Vitellius  (emperor) 
early  in  the  first  century  of  the  Christian  Era, — but  this 
is  uncertain, — the  Romans  giving  it  the  name  of  Ju- 
glandes,  or  the  nut  of  Jove  or  Jupiter,  both  being  the 
same  mythical  personage.  The  nuts,  at  this  early  day, 
were  highly  prized,  and  also  the  wood  of  the  tree,  the 
latter  being  even  more  valuable  than  that  of  the  citron 
(orange  and  lemon).  Ovid  wrote  a  poem^about  these 
nuts,  entitled  De  Nuce,  from  which  we  learn  that  boys 
were  employed  to,  or  did  of  their  own  accord,  knock  off 
these  nuts ;  and  that  at  marriages  walnuts  were  thrown 
by  the  bride  and  bridegroom  among  the  children,  a 
ceremony  which  was  supposed  to  indicate  that  the 
bridegroom  had  left  off  his  boyish  amusements,  and 
that  the  bride  was  no  longer  a  votary  of  Diana,  and 
it  is  quite  probable  that  the  French  word  for  nuptials, 
des  noces,  was  derived  from  this  ancient  custom. 
The  ancients  also  believed  that  walnuts  possessed  pow- 
erful medicinal  properties,  even  to  the  curing  of  hydro- 
phobia ;  but  in  these  latter  days  they  have  lost  most 
of  their  curative  virtues,  in  the  opinion  of  the  medical 
fraternity. 

As  with  the  chestnut,  the  planting  of  the  walnut 
extended  northward  into  Gaul  (France),  hence  the 
earlier  name  of  Gaul  nuts,  which  became  corrupted  into 
walnuts  by  the  English-speaking  people.  The  Italian 
name  is  Xoci;  in  France,  Noyer ;  and  the  Germans, 


THE   WALNUT.  207 

with  their  usual  habit  of  compounding  names,  call  it 
ivalnuss-baum  or  walnut  tree. 

Joannis  De  Loureiro,  in  his  work  on  the  plants  of 
China,  "  Flora  Cochinchinensis,"  published  in  1790, 
claims  that  this  Persian  walnut  is  also  a  native  of  the 
northern  provinces  of  China,  with  two  other  species 
which  he  describes  (p.  573),  adding,  however,  that  one 
of  these  is  cultivated  in  Cochin  China,  and  the  other  is 
found  wild  in  the  mountains. 

The  wild  form  of  this  world-wide-famous  nut  is, 
doubtless,  quite  different  from  the  varieties  with  which 
we  are  familiar,  for  two  thousand  years  or  more  of  con- 
tinuous cultivation  and  selections  have  greatly  changed 
the  character  of  these  nuts,  as  well  as  the  habit  of  the 
trees.  The  nuts  from  the  wild  trees  are  said  to  have  a 
rather  thick  shell,  and  to  be  much  smaller  than  the  best  of 
the  improved  cultivated  varieties,  or  very  like  those  we 
now  obtain  in  China  and  Japan.  The  Persian  walnut, 
in  its  many  varieties,  has  been  planted  almost  every- 
where in  Europe  as  far  north  as  Warsaw,  but  does  not 
appear  to  have  run  wild  and  become  naturalized,  as  with 
many  other  kinds  of  fruit  and  forest  trees.  In  Great 
Britain  it  has  probably  been  cultivated  ever  since  the 
invasion  of  the  country  by  the  Eomans,  although  a 
much  later  date  is  named  by  some  of  our  modern  horti- 
cultural authorities.  Dodoens  (1552),  Gerarde  (1597), 
Parkinson  (1629),  and  other  of  our  early  authors  of 
works  on  cultivated  plants,  speak  of  the  Persian  walnut 
as  common  in  various  countries  of  Europe,  Great  Britain 
included.  John  Evelyn,  in  his  "Sylva"  (1664),  says: 
"In  Burgundy,  walnut  trees  abound  where  they  stand, 
in  the  meadows  of  goodly  lands,  at  sixty  and  a  hundred 
feet  distance,  and  so  far  as  hurting  the  crop,  they  are 
looked  upon  as  great  preservers,  keeping  the  ground 
warm,  nor  do  the  roots  hinder  the  plow."  Evelyn,  no 
doubt,  had  read  what  Pliny  had  said  on  this  point,  viz. : 


208  THE  NUT  CULTURIST. 

"Even  the  oak  will  not  thrive  near  the  walnut  tree; 
which,  if  it  be  true,  may  be  owing  to  the  interference  of 
their  roots  in  the  subsoil ;  but  it  is  certain  that  neither 
grass  nor  field  nor  garden  crops  thrive  well  under  the 
walnut."  Evelyn  was  far  too  good  a  gardener  and  close 
observer  to  fall  into  the  error  of  attributing  noxious 
properties  to  the  walnut  tree,  although  Pliny's  assertion, 
which  has  no  foundation  beyond  his  imagination,  has 
been  many  times  repeated  in  these  days  of  supposed  gen- 
eral intelligence.  Small  plants  may  fail,  under  the 
shade  of  large  trees,  or  when  deprived  of  moisture  by 
the  roots  of  such  trees,  but  the  walnut  is  no  exception 
to  the  rule ;  in  fact,  such  deep-rooted  kinds  are  less 
injurious  than  those  with  roots  nearer  the  surface. 
Evelyn,  in  continuing  his  account  of  the  walnut  in  Ger- 
many, says  :  "Whenever  they  fell  a  tree,  which  is  only 
the  old,  decayed,  they  always  plant  a  young  one  near 
him,  and,  in  several  places  betwixt  Hanau  and  Frank- 
fort, no  young  farmer  whatsoever  is  permitted  to  marry 
a  wife  till  he  bring  proof  that  he  is  a  father  of  such  a 
stated  number  of  walnut  trees;  and  the  law  is  inviolably 
observed  to  this  day,  for  the  extraordinary  benefit  which 
this  tree  affords  the  inhabitants."  What  a  pity  that 
some  such  custom  could  not  have  prevailed  during  the 
past  century  in  the  United  States.  The  author  from 
whom  I  have  just  quoted  adds  that  the  Bergstrasse, 
which  extends  from  Heidelberg  to  Darmstadt,  is  all 
planted  with  walnuts. 

Cold  winters,  however,  have  occasionally  played 
havoc  with  the  walnut  trees  in  Europe,  and  one  of  these 
occurred  in  1709,  when  the  greater  part  of  the  trees 
were  seriously  injured,  especially  in  Switzerland,  Ger- 
many and  France.  Many  trees  were  cut  down  for  their 
timber,  which  is  always  in  great  demand  for  gun-stocks 
and  furniture.  Certain  Dutch  capitalists,  foreseeing 
the  scarcity  of  walnut  timber,  bought  up  all  they  could 


THE   WALNUT.  209 

procure,  and  years  afterwards  sold  it  at  a  greatly  ad- 
vanced price.  In  the  year  1720  an  act  was  passed  in 
France  to  prevent  the  exportation  of  walnut  timber,  and 
this  led  to  the  planting  of  these  trees  more  extensively 
than  at  any  previous  date  ;  this  practice  has  continued  to 
the  present  time,  hence  the  immense  revenue  secured 
from  the  exportation  of  these  nuts-.  The  people  of  the 
United  States  are  good  customers  for  the  surplus  stock 
of  Europe,  and  will  probably  so  continue,  until  we  wake 
up  to  a  sense  of  our  folly  of  perpetually  buying  articles 
that  could  be  readily  produced  at  home,  and  at  a  very 
large  profit. 

Persian  Walnut  in  America. — The  date  of  the 
first  experiment  in  planting  this  nut.  in  this  country  is 
now  probably  unknown,  but  the  oldest  tree  that  I  have 
-been  able  to  find  with  anything  like  a  satisfactory  his- 
tory, is  still  growing  vigorously  at  Washington  Heights, 
on  Manhattan  Island,  near  160th  street  and  St.  Nicholas 
avenue.  I  gave  a  brief  history  of  this  noble  monarch  of 
its  race  in  the  American  Garden  for  September,  1888, 
from  which  the  following  account  is  condensed:  "In 
1758  Eoger  Morris,  an  English  gentleman,  built  a  spa- 
cious mansion  on  his  estate,  at  what,  in  later  years,  be- 
came known  as  Washington  Heights.  His  grounds 
were  well  laid  out  for  that  time,  and  many  rare  foreign 
trees  and  shrubs  planted,  among  them  several,  as  then 
called,  English  walnuts.  Whether  these  trees  were 
raised  from  the  nuts,  or  plants  of  some  size  imported,  is 
not  now  known.  Mr.  Morris  may  have  procured  the 
seedlings  from  the  Prince  Nursery,  Flushing,  L.  I.,  for 
this  famous  garden  was  established  in  1713,  or  forty-five 
years  previous  to  the  building  of  the  Morris  mansion 
and  the  planting  of  the  grounds  about  it. 

"At  that  period  no  one  doubted  the  hardiness  of  the 
so-called  English  walnut  in  America,  and  as  most  of  the 
nuts  and  trees  procured  for  planting  came  from  accli- 
14 


210  THE   XUT   CULTURIST. 

mated  stock  in  Great  Britain  or  the  cooler  region  of 
Europe,  success  usually  attended  such  experiments. 
Our  pioneers  and  horticulturists  fully  expected  that  the 
trees  would  thrive  and  bear  nuts  in  abundance,  and  time 
has  shown  that  they  were  not  mistaken,  although  we 
frequently  see  it  stated  at  this  late  day,  that  the  Persian 
walnut  is  not  hardy  north  of  the  latitude  of  Washington, 
Philadelphia,  or  other  cities  south  of  New  York. 

"One  hundred  and  thirty-eight  years  have  rolled  by 
since  walnut  trees  were  planted  at  Washington  Heights, 
and  at  least  one  of  the  originals  has  escaped  destruction 
and  holds  its  head  aloft,  defying  the  tempests  which 
frequently  sweep  over  that  elevated  and  exposed  spot  on 
Manhattan  Island.  This  veritable  patriarch  of  its  race 
in  America  is  a  monster  in  size,  its  stem  between  four 
and  five  feet  in  diameter  at  the  base  and  more  than 
seventy-five  feet  high,  with  wide-spreading  branches. 

"In  the  summer  of  1776  the  Battle  of  Long  Island 
was  fought,  and  the  American  forces  were  compelled  to 
retreat  in  confusion  to  New  York,  thence  northward  up 
the  island  ;  but  when  they  reached  Fort  Washington,  not 
far  from  the  eleventh  milestone  on  the  old  Albany  post 
road,  they  made  a  stand  and  proceeded  to  entrench 
themselves  at  that  place.  This  was  in  September,  1776, 
and  General  Washington  took  possession  of  the  Morris 
mansion  near  by,  making  it  his  headquarters,  and,  as 
this  was  at  the  season  when  the  walnuts  had  reached  an 
edible  stage,  we  may  safely  presume,  from  his  well-known 
predilection  for  such  delicacies,  that  he  tested  the  qual- 
ity of  the  Morris  wralnuts.  One  hundred  and  twenty 
years  later  I  am  writing  this,  with  some  fresh  specimens 
of  nuts  before  me  from  that  same  old  tree. 

"This  old  patriarch  has  cast  its  shade  over  many  a 
noted  person  in  its  time,  for  in  1810  the  Morris  estate 
passed  into  the  hands  of  Madame  Jumel,  a  lady  long 
famous  for  her  hospitality  and  the  good  cheer  she  ex- 


THE   WALNUT.  211 

tended  to  the  surviving  patriots  of  the  Revolution. 
From  1810  to  the  time  of  her  death,  1865,  Madame 
Jumel's  household  always  had  an  abundance  of  walnuts 
from  the  old  tree,  and  one  of  the  workmen  on  the  place 
informed  me  that  about  two  cartloads  was  considered  a 
fair  annual  crop." 

It  cannot  be  many  years  before  this  old  tree  will 
meet  the  same  fate  that  has  overtaken  many  of  its 
younger  contemporaries  which  were  once  growing  in  the 
neighborhood,  for  with  the  rush  for  building  lots  and 
the  opening  of  new  streets  and  avenues,  trees  are  usually 
in  the  way,  and  in  such  cases  even  patriarchs  are  not 
sacred,  nor  do  they  command  much  respect  from  our 
urban  population.* 

A  half -century  ago  there  was  quite  a  large  number 
of  walnut  trees  scattered  about  on  the  northern  half  of 
Manhattan  Island,  many  of  these  probably  descendants 
of  the  old  Morris  trees,  but  of  this  nothing  definite  is 
now  known.  A  number  of  persons  whose  ages  permit- 
ted them  to  scan  the  early  days  of  the  present  century, 
have  assured  me  that  in  their  childhood  they  had  often 
collected  walnuts  from  goodly  sized  trees  on  farms,  from 
Harlem  northward  on  the  island.  The  largest  number 
of  Persian  walnut  trees  planted  in  any  one  place  was  on 
the  Tieman  farm  at  Manhattanville,  these  being  set  out 
as  roadside  trees,  some  of  which  are  still  standing, 
although  in  the  march  of  improvements  they  must  soon 
disappear.  These  trees  have  always  been  noted  for  their 
productiveness,  bearing  a  full  crop  every  alternate  year, 
and  a  lighter  one  in  what  is  termed  the  "off  season." 

While  the  old  Morris  walnut  tree,  and  the  large 
number  growing  on  the  Tieman  estate,  and  scores  of 
others  scattered  about  New  York  city  and  its  suburbs, 

*Since  writing  the  above,  and  while  these  pages  are  being  put  in 
type,  accidentally  I  learn  with  regret  that  the  old  Morris  walnut  tree 
has  been  destroyed. 


212  THE    NUT   CULT  CRIST. 

have  been,  and  many  still  are,  living  witnesses  of  the 
fact  that  varieties  of  the  Persian  walnut  will  thrive  in 
this  latitude,  certain  horticultural  authors  and  essayists 
have  continually  asserted  the  contrary. 

Mr.  F,  J.  Scott,  in  his  superb  and  voluminous  work. 
"Suburban  Home  Grounds,"  in  speaking  of  this  species 
of  the  walnut,  says,  p.  351:  "Though  greatly  valued 
in  England  and  on  the  continent  for  its  beauty,  as  well 
as  for  its  nuts,  its  want  of  hardiness  in  the  Northern 
States,  and  lack  of  any  peculiar  beauty  in  the  South,  has 
prevented  its  culture  to  any  great  extent  in  this  country. 
South  of  Philadelphia  it  may  be  grown  with  safety.'' 
'This  seems  strange  language  to  have  come  from  such  an 
eminent  authority  as  the  late  Mr.  Scott,  inasmuch  as  he 
must  have  passed  a  hundred  times  within  sight,  if  not 
in  the  very  shadow  of  the  rows  of  old  walnut  trees  grow- 
ing at  Manhattanville,  when  going  from  New  York  city 
to  Newburgh,  where  he  studied  landscape  gardening 
under  the  lamented  A.  J.  Downing,  and  to  whom  the 
work  from  which  I  have  quoted  is  dedicated.  It  is  quite 
evident,  however,  that  our  author,  like  many  others, 
failed  to  see  things  that  should  have  interested  him. 

As  an  offset  to  Mr.  Scott's  idea  of  the  northern 
limit  for  the  successful  cultivation  of  this  nut,  I  may 
refer  to  the  work  of  Mr.  George  Jacques,  "Practical 
Treatise  on  Fruit  Trees,  Adapted  to  the  Interior  of 
New  England,"  published  at  Worcester,  Mass.,  1849. 
In  referring  to  the  European  walnut,  p.  238,  he  says : 
"  It  is  perfectly  hardy  on  Long  Island,  and  to  the  south 
of  New  York,  and  as  far  north  as  the  city  of  Charles- 
town  in  this  State  (Mass. ),  where  there  may  be  seen,  in 
the  enclosure  of  a  residence  on  Harvard  street,  two  fine 
trees  of  this  kind,  either  of  them  much  taller  and  larger 
than  our  large-sized  apple  trees.  We  have  eaten  nuts 
from  these  trees  well  ripened  and  fully  equal*  to  any  of 
those  imported.  The  trees  often  bear  a  crop  of  some 


THE   WALNUT.  213 

bushels."  It  is  unnecessary  to  search  for  further  proof 
to  show  that  certain  excellent  varieties  of  the  Persian 
walnut  do  thrive  and  bear  abundantly  in  our  Northern 
States ;  not,  perhaps,  in  the  extreme  boreal  borders  of 
New  England,  nor  in  those  of  the  northwest,  but  the 
acclimated  sorts  are  pretty  safe  as  far  north  as  42° 
of  latitude,  and  in  protected  locations  may  crowd  up  a 
half  degree  more.  I  have  found  very  productive  trees 
of  this  nut  in  northern  New  Jersey,  several  in  Bergen 
county,  others  in  Passaic,  and  thence  southward,  and 
while  they  are  few  in  number,  they  are  sufficient  to 
prove  that  this  tree  is  adapted  to  the  soil  and  climate  of 
the  entire  State.  We  seldom  find  more  than  one  or  two 
trees  in  any  garden,  and  these  are  probably  more  the 
result  of  accident  than  design,  their  owners  seeming  to 
be  satisfied  in  possessing  something  in  the  way  of  a  tree 
not  common  in  the  neighborhood,  never  thinking  that 
it  might  be  well  to  plant  enough  of  such  trees  to  have 
them  become  a  source  of  revenue.  The  parentage  of 
quite  a  number  of  these  bearing  trees  is  readily  traced 
to  the  Morris  and  Tieman  stock,  showing  that  these  old 
trees  are  of  a  hardy  and  prolific  race,  which  are  well 
worthy  of  perpetuation  for  cold  climates.  Very  old  and 
large  walnut  trees  are  reported  as  growing  in  Pennsyl- 
vania and  other  of  the  Middle  States,  but  they  are  far 
from  being  numerous.  It  has  long  been  claimed  that 
this  species  of  nut  succeeded  best  in  the  Southern  States, 
and  it  is  probably  true,  especially  with  the  tender  varie- 
ties ;  but  for  some  reason,  unknown  to  me,  they  have 
not  been  planted  there  in  sufficient  numbers  to  have,  as 
yet,  become  of  any  commercial  importance. 

During  the  past  twenty-five  years  these  nuts  have 
been  more  extensively  planted  in  California  than  else- 
where in  the  United  States,  and  we  may  expect  soon  to 
know  something  definite  in  regard  to  results.  Nearly 
all  of  the  favorite  French  varieties  have  been  introduced, 


214  THE   NUT   CULTURIST. 

and  are  now  being  te^ed  in  different  parts  of  the  State, 
and  it  is  quite  likely  that  the  greater  part  will  succeed, 
although  some 'of  the  early-blooming  sorts  may  fail  in 
localities  subject  to  late  spring  frosts.  Previous  to  the 
introduction  of  grafted  trees  of  the  named  varieties,  the 
only  trees  of  this  kind  planted  in  California  were  seed- 
lings raised  from  the  common  imported  nuts  ;  but  f 
have  no  statistics  at  hand  to  determine  the  date  of  the 
first  plantings  of  this  kind. 

Of  late  years  there  has  been  received,  at  some  of 
our  seaports,  and  especially  at  New  York,  some  quite 
large  consignments  of  walnuts  from  South  America, 
under  the  name  of  "Chile  walnuts," but  they  are  only 
varieties  of  the  Persian  raised  in  Chile.  They  are  gen- 
erally of  good  size,  moderately  thin  shelled,  with  plump 
kernels  of  excellent  flavor.  They  are  in  great  demand 
for  confectionery,  and  are  really  better  for  such  purposes 
than  the  larger  and  fancy  bleached  walnuts  imported 
under  the  somewhat  general  name  of  Grenobles,  or 
French  walnuts.  Owing  to  the  difference  of  climate, 
these  Chile  walnuts  arrive  here  late  in  winter,  or  about 
the  time  those  coming  from  European  countries  the  pre- 
vious autumn  begin  to  become  somewhat  stale. 

Of  our  native  .species  of  this  genus  (Juglans),  the 
almost  everywhere  common  butternut  ranks  first  in 
flavor  and  general  estimation,  but  owing  to  its  hard, 
rough  shell,  and  the  difficulty  in  extracting  the  kernel, 
it  has  never  become  of  any  considerable  importance, 
although  usually  found  in  our  markets  in  limited  quan- 
tities. Of  course,  it  is  a  general  favorite  in  the  country, 
and  wherever  found  in  sufficient  quantities  the  boys  and 
girls  lay  up  a  goodly  supply  for  winter  use ;  and  crack- 
ing butternuts  during  the  long  winter  evenings  is  a 
pastime  and  pleasure  not  to  be  ignored  nor  forgotten. 
The  flavor  of  the  butternut  is  far  more  delicate,  and 
better,  than  any  of  the  Persian  species,  but  the  diffi- 


THE   WALNUT.  215 

culty  in  extracting  the  rather  small  kernel  is  a  serious 
objection. 

The  black  walnut  has  a  larger  kernel,  in  proportion 
to  its  size,  than  the  butternut,  and  it  is  not  so  difficult 
to  extract  when  the  nuts  are  dry,  but  the  flavor  is  too 
rank  for  most  palates,  although  it  has  often  been  referred 
to  as  excellent  by  the  earlier  botanists  who  visited  this 
country ;  but  it  has  never  been  considered  of  much  value 
until  quite  recently,  or  since  the  manufacturers  of  con- 
fectionery discovered  that  heat  somewhat  subdued  the 
rank  flavor,  and  now  many  tons  of  the  meats  are  annu- 
ally consumed  in  candies  and  walnut  cakes.  I  am  cred- 
ibly informed  that  cracking  black  walnuts  and  shipping 
the  meats  to  our  larger  cities  has  become  quite  an  exten- 
sive industry  in  several  of  the  Middle  and  Western  States. 
We  have  two  other  but  smaller  native  species  of  the  wal- 
nut that  will  be  described  further  on,  under  the  head 
Species  and  Varieties. 

Propagation  of  Walnuts. — The  propagation  of 
the. walnut  in  the  natural  way,  or  by  seed,  is  exceedingly 
simple,  for  the  nuts  grow  readily  and  freely  if  planted 
soon  after  they  are  ripe,  or  any  time  before  they  become 
old  and  the  kernels  shriveled.  It  is,  of  course,  best  to 
plant  them  while  fresh,  but  they  are  not  at  all  delicate, 
and  may  be  transported  a  long  distance  in  a  dry  condi- 
tion without  seriously  affecting  their  vitality.  If  wal- 
nuts are  given  the  same  care  as  recommended  in  the 
preceding  pages  for  other  kinds  of  nuts,  so  much  the 
better. 

The  seedlings  of  walnuts,  like  those  of  other  species, 
usually  produce  long  taproots,  and  if  grown  in  a  compact 
soil,  these  will  have  few  small  lateral  fibers  the  first  sea- 
son, as  shown  in  Fig.  75  ;  but  when  taken  up  and  the 
vertical  main  root  shortened  at  a,  and  then  replanted, 
they  produce  fibrous  roots  in  abundance.  The  trees  of 
almost  any  age  from  one  to  twenty  years  old,  are  not  at 


216 


THE   XUT   CULTURIST. 


all  difficult  to  make  live  when  transplanted,  provided 
the  branches  or  tops  of  the  trees  are  reduced,  to  corre- 
spond with  loss  of  roots  in  digging  up  at  the  time  of 
removal.  It  may  be  well  to  give 
a  word  of  caution  to  the  novice  in 
nut  culture  about  pruning  nut 
trees  in  spring,  after  the  sap  begins 
to  flow ;  for  if  done  at  this  time 
they  will  bleed  freely  and  leave 
unhealthy  wounds  and  black,  un- 
sightly spots  on  the  bark.  Prune 
walnuts  in  summer  or  early  in 
winter,  to  give  time  for  the  wounds 
to  season  before  the  buds  swell  in 
spring.  If  young  trees  are  to  be 
dug  up,  prune  after  they  are  taken 
from  the  ground,  then  the  sap  will 
not  flow  from  the  wounds.  This 
is  true  of  all  deciduous  trees, 
vines  and  shrubs.  If  the  trees 
have  few  small  roots  when  taken 
up,  prune  severely ;  but  if  roots 
are  abundant,  little  pruning  will 
be  required.  It  is  seldom,  how- 
ever, in  transplanting  walnuts, 
that  the  pruning  need  be  as  severe 
as  recommended  for  the  chestnut ; 
in  fact,  having  transplanted  wal- 
nuts of  various  species,  and  of 
all  ages  from  one  to  twenty  years, 
without  the  loss  of  a  plant,  I  have 
FIG.  75.  SEEDLING  WALNUT,  come  to  the  conclusion  that  they 
are  pretty  safe  trees  to  handle,  in  this  climate,  at  least, 
if  not  elsewhere. 

In  seeking  walnuts  from  a  distance,  for  planting 
anywhere  in  the  Middle  or  Northern  States,  it  will  be 


THE   WALNUT.  217 

well  to  learn  something  in  advance  about  the  climate  in 
which  the  nuts  are  raised ;  for  it  would  be  folly  to  send 
for  either  trees  or  nuts  to  a  warm  or  semi-tropical  region, 
like  that  of  southern  France  or  Spain,  for  a  stock  to 
cultivate  in  a  climate  as  cold  as  that  of  New  York,  New 
Jersey,  and  States  on  the  same  line  westward.  We 
might,  perchance,  from  such  importation,  secure  one 
hardy  plant  in  a  hundred  or  thousand,  but  there  would 
be  no  certainty  of  even  this  small  number. 

This  idea  of  acclimation  and  adaptation  of  trees 
to  conditions  and  climate  should  not  be  overlooked 
by  the  nut  culturist,  no  matter  from  what  source 
he  procures  his  stock,  whether  from  abroad,  or  some 
distant  region  of  his  own  country.  If  it  can  be 
obtained  from  a  region  where  it  has  been  growing 
under  conditions  similar  to  those  to  which  it  is  to 
be  transferred  for  cultivation,  then  the  chances  of 
success  will  certainly  be  largely  augmented.  Accli- 
mation is  a  slow  process ;  in  fact,  too  slow  for  us  to 
expect  to  secure  any  appreciable  advantages  from  it 
in  a  lifetime,  but  in  nature  we  seek  final  results,  leaving 
time  out  of  the  question. 

In  raising  seedling  trees  we  cannot  expect  much 
more  than  a  reproduction  of  the  species,  and  not  that  of 
the  parent  tree.  Plants  that  have  been  subjected  to  un- 
natural conditions  and  surroundings,  as  usual  under  cul- 
tivation, are  far  more  likely  to  show  a  wider  range  of  va- 
riation in  the  seedlings  than  those  growing  wild  in  their 
native  habitats  ;  but  even  the  latter  cannot  be  depended 
upon  to  reproduce  exact  types  from  seed.  In  other 
words,  there  is  nothing  certain  about  seedling  nut  trees  ; 
the  large  nuts  may  produce  trees  bearing  very  small  ones, 
the  early-ripening  give  late  ones,  the  tall  dwarf  trees 
and  the  precocious  fruiting  some  of  the  most  tardy  vari- 
eties;  and  yet,  with  all  this  uncertainty,  we  still  think 
it  best  to  select  for  planting  the  best  nuts  obtainable, 


218  THE   XUT   CULTURIST. 

i.  e.,  best  and  most  promising  for  the  conditions  under 
which  the  seedlings  are  to  be  grown. 

For  the  multiplication  and  perpetuation  of  choice 
varieties  we  must  resort  to  artificial  modes  of  propaga- 
tion, mainly  by  budding  and  grafting.  These  modes, 
however,  while  the  best  at  present  known,  are  so  diffi- 
cult and  uncertain  in  cool  climates, — even  in  the  hands 
of  the  most  skilful  propagators, — that  grafted  walnut 
trees  have  never  been  very  plentiful  in  the  nurseries  of 
this  or  other  countries  with  which  we  have  commercial 
relations.  In  the  south  of  France  nurserymen  appear  to 
have  been  more  successful  in  the  propagation  of  walnuts 
by  budding  and  grafting,  than  elsewhere ;  but  in  the 
northern  provinces,  as  well  as  in  Great  Britain,  we  hear 
little  of  this  mode  of  propagation.  So  difficult  has  this 
mode  of  propagating  the  walnut  been  considered  in  Eng- 
land, that  Thomas  Andrew  Knight,  president  of  the 
London  Horticultural  Society,  early  in  the  present  cen- 
tury discouraged  all  attempts  to  propagate  this  tree  by 
such  means ;  but  later,  in  a  paper  read  before  the  Soci- 
ety April  7,  1818,  he  admits  to  having  changed  his 
mind,  especially  in  regard  to  budding  the  walnut,  and 
says : 

"The  buds  of  trees  of  almost  every  species  succeed 
with  most  certainty  when  inserted  on  the  shoots  of  the 
same  year's  growth  ;  but  the  walnut  tree  appears  to 
afford  an  exception ;  possibly,  in  some  measure,  because 
its  buds  contain  within  themselves,  in  the  spring,  all 
the  leaves  which  the  tree  bears  in  the  following  summer, 
whence  its  annual  shoots  cease  to  elongate  soon  after  its 
buds  unfold ;  all  its  buds  of  each  season  are  also,  conse- 
quently, very  nearly  of  the  same  age,  and  long  before 
any  have  acquired  the  proper  degree  of  maturity  for 
being  removed,  the  annual  branches  have  ceased  to  grow 
longer  or  to  produce  new  foliage.  ...  To  obviate  the 
disadvantage  arising  from  the  preceding  circumstances,  I 


THE    WALXUT.  219 

adopted  means  of  retarding  the  period  of  the  vegetation 
of  the  stocks  comparatively  with  that  of  the  bearing 
tree  :  and  by  these  means  I  became  partially  successful. 
There  are,  at  the  base  of  the  annual  shoots  of  the  wal- 
nut and  other  trees,  where  these  Join  the  year-old  wood, 
many  minute  buds  which  are  almost  concealed  in  the 
bark,  and  which  rarely  or  never  vegetate  but  in  the 
event  of  the  destruction  of  the  large  prominent  buds 
which  occupy  the  middle  and  opposite  end  of  the  annual 
wood.  By  inserting  in  each  stock  one  of  these  minute 
buds  and  one  of  the  large  prominent  kind,  I  had  the 
pleasure  to  find  that  the  minute  buds  took  freely, 
while  the  large  all  failed  without  a  single  exception." 

From  the  above  and  other  remarks  of  Mr.  Knight, 
in  the  paper  read  by  him,  I  infer  that  he  kept  the  stocks 
in  pots  stored  in  a  cool  place  in  spring,  until  he  could 
obtain  shoots  of  the  season  from  bearing  trees,  and  from 
these  minute  undeveloped  axillary  buds  for  inserting  in 
the  stocks.  These  buds,  as  he  informs  us,  are  inserted 
in  the  wood  of  the  preceding  season,  and  near  the  sum- 
mit or  top.  He  does  not  give  any  directions  for  holding 
the  buds  in  place,  whether  by  waxed  or  plain  bass  liga- 
tures;  the  former,  however,  would  probably  be  prefer- 
able, for  the  purpose  of  excluding  the  air  and  water. 

Some  twenty  years  later  (1838)  J.  C.  London,  in 
"Arboretum  Britannicum,"  etc.,  refers  to  the  propagation 
af  the  walnut  as  follows  :  "Much  has  been  written  on 
the  subject  by  French  authors,  from  which  it  appears 
that  in  the  north  of  France,  and  in  cold  countries  gen- 
erally, the  walnut  does  not  bud  or  graft  easily  by  any 
mode ;  bat  that  in  the  south  of  France  and  north  of 
Italy  it  may  be  budded  or  grafted  by  different  modes, 
with  success.  At  Metz,  the  Baron  de  Tschoudy  found 
the  flute  method  (Fig.  76)  almost  the  only  one  which  he 
could  practice  with  success.  By  this  mode  an  entire 
ring  of  bark,  containing  one  or  more  buds,  is  removed 


THE   .NTT   CULTURIST. 


from  a  twig  on  a  tree  to  be  multiplied,  and  transferred 
to  the  stock,  and  made  to  fit  as  shown.  If  the  ring  is 
too  large,  a  slice  may  be  cut  off;  and  if  too  small,  a 
piece  of  the  bark  of  the  stock  may  be  left  to  fill  the 
space."  Both  stock  and  parent  tree  must  be  in  about 
the  same  condition  or  stage  of  growth  when  this  ring- 
budding  is  done,  in  order  that  the  bark  containing  the 
bud  may  peel  off  freely  from  the  wood,  and  this  is  always 
in  the  spring,  soon  after  the  buds 
begin  to  unfold  and  the  sap  is  in 
motion.  London  says  that  in  Dau- 
phine,  France,  young  plants  in  the 
nurseries  are  budded  chiefly  by  this 
mode,  which  succeeds  best  the  closer 
the  operation  is  performed  to  the  col- 
lar of  the  plant;  and  tbe  same  is 
true  in  grafting,  tbe  nearer  tbe  root 
the  better,  as  has  been  found  by  ex- 
perience with  hickories. 

Charles  Baltet,  in  his  "I/ Art  de 
Greffer,"  recommends  grafting  in  the 
usual  mode  of  crown  grafting,  also 
flute  or  ring  grafting,  in  April  or 
May,  and  ordinary  cleft  grafting  close 
to  the  root  and  at  the  forks  of  the 
branches,  etc.  He  says  that  the  cion 
should  be  cut,  as  much  as  possible, 
obliquely  across  the  pith,  so  that  it  may  be  exposed  on 
one  side  only.  He  also  advises  using  cions  whose  base 
consists  of  wood  of  two  years'  growth,  and  these  fur- 
nished with  a  terminal  bud.  He  cautions  propagators 
against  grafting  early-growing  kinds  upon  those  of  later 
vegetation.  If  walnuts  of  any  of  the  native  or  foreign 
species  have  been  successfully  propagated  by  budding  or 
grafting,  at  any  of  the  nurseries  in  our  Eastern  States,  it 
has  not  been  made  known  in  the  nurserymen's  catalogues. 


FIG.  76. 
FLUTE   BUDDING. 


THE    WALNUT.  221 

Michael  Floy,  who  early  in  the  present  century  had 
quite  extensive  grounds  devoted  to  fruit  and  ornamental 
trees,  near  what  is  now  the  center*  of  New  York  city,  as 
we  learn  from  his  "  Guide  to  the  Orchard,"  published  in 
1833,  claims,  in  this  work,  that  the  Persian  walnuts 
thrive  well  in  this  country,  but  admits  that  he  had  never 
succeeded  in  grafting  the  trees,  and  with  the  hickories 
had  no  better  success,  although  he  had  tried  them  many 
times;  but  he  adds:  " Still  I  do  not  say  it  is  im- 
possible either  to  bud  or  graft  them ;  but  there  is 
something  peculiar  about  it,  for  both  the  bud  and  graft 
turn  black  when  cut,  almost  instantaneously.  Others 
may  succeed  better,  but  let  them  try  it  before  they 
affirm  it  upon  hearsay ;  they  may  succeed  very  well  by 
inarching." 

Coming  down  to  the  present  day,  in  our  search  for 
facts  and  information  in  regard  to  the  propagation  of 
varieties  of  the  walnut,  we  may  find  it  interesting  to 
visit  California,  which,  of  all  the  States  of  the  Union,  is 
perhaps  the  best  adapted  to  nut  culture  in  general ; 
besides,  a.  larger  number  of  nut  trees  of  various  kinds 
have  been  planted  there  than  elsewhere  in  this  country. 
It  is  in  California  that  we  find  such  men  as  Felix  Gillet, 
of  Nevada  City,  an  enthusiastic  propagator  and  culti- 
vator of  fruit  and  nut  trees,  and  especially  of  the  latter, 
if  we  may  judge  by  his  works  and  writings  on  this 
branch  of  horticulture, — and  so  far  as  I  have  been  able 
to  learn,  he  is  the  only  nurseryman  in  the  United  States 
who  has  grafted  walnut  trees  of  many  different  varieties 
for  sale. 

In  regard  to  modes  of  propagation,  Mr.  Gillet  says 
that  the  common  mode  of  shield  budding,  as  employed 
on  fruit  trees,  fails  entirely  with  small  walnuts  from  one 
to  three  years  from  the  seed,  and  it  does  but  seldom  suc- 
ceed even  on  larger  stocks.  When  tried  on  large,  old 
stocks,  he  advises  removing  all  the  wood  from  the  inner 


THE   XUT    CULTURIST. 

side  of  the  strip  of  bark  on  which  the  bud  is  situated, 
and  at  the  same  time  have  this  strip  not  less  than  two 
inches  long  and  as  broad  as  possible.  He  describes  his 
mode  of  grafting  walnuts,  which  does  not  differ  materi- 
ally from  those  already  given.  That  he  has  never  at- 
tained any  very  remarkable  results  may  be  inferred  from 
the  following : 

"We  will  add  that  the  '  grafted  walnuts 'that  we 
offer  were  grafted  expressly  for  us,  regardless  of  cost,  by 
the  most  reliable  firm  to  be  found  in  the  walnut  district 
in  France,  through  a  process  discovered  several  years 
ago,  and  which  we  will  briefly  describe  for  the  benefit  of 
people  who  may  be  inclined  to  try  this  new  method  of 
grafting  very  young  walnuts. 

"  One-year-old  seedlings  of  the  size  of  the  little  fin- 
ger, or  about  one-half  inch  in  diameter  at  the  butt,  are 
selected,  the  root  cut  back  short  enough  to  permit  the 
planting  of  the  trees  in  pots  of  three  inches  in  depth ; 
the  trees,  previously  to  being  potted,  are  grafted  with 
cions  exactly  of  the  same  size,  whip  or  cleft  grafting 
being  used ;  the  pots  are  then  taken  to  a  hot  or  propa- 
gating house,  and  a  glass  bell  set  over  them  to  prevent 
the  outside  air  getting  to  the  grafts,  the  temperature 
of  the  house  being  kept  day  and  night,  at  least  for 
fifteen  days,  or  till  the  grafting  has  taken,  to  70°  F. 
When  the  grafts  are  well  taken  and  growing,  the  glass 
bells  are  removed,  and  the  grafts  allowed  to  grow  three 
or  four  inches,  before  the  little  grafted  trees  are  set  out 
in  nursery  rows ;  it  may  be  preferable,  especially  in  cer- 
tain parts  of  the  country,  to  keep  the  trees  in  the 
pots  till  the  ensuing  spring.  Forty  to  fifty  per  cent 
of  the  grafts  will  succeed,  and  it  is  the  best  that  can 
be  done. 

"This  mode  of  grafting  the  walnut,  besides  requir- 
ing a  hothouse,  needs  the  care  of  a  skillful  person  to 
make  it  succeed.  So  are  grafted  the  little  trees  that  we 


THE   WALNUT.  223 

import  from  France,  and  that  we  plant  in  nursery  rows 
and  offer  to  the  public." 

For  other  modes  of  root  grafting,  I  refer  the  reader 
to  those  recommended  for  the  hickories,  in  the  preced- 
ing chapter.  Propagating  walnuts  by  layers  is  practica- 
ble, where  the  small  trees  have  been  cut  down  to  force 
out  new  shoots  near  the  surface  of  the  ground,  then  bent 
down  and  covered  with  soil  in  the  usual  method  of  lay- 
ering woody  plants. 

Planting  and  Pruning. — The  plants  will  produce 
a  greater  number  of  fibrous  roots  if  the  nuts  are  planted 
in  light,  loose,  but  rich  soil,  than  in  a  heavy,  tenacious 
one ;  but  with  all  kinds  it  is  best  to  transplant  when 
one  or  two  years  old,  and  cut  off  a  portion  of  the  tap- 
roots, as  recommended  for  the  hickories.  When  re- 
moved from  the  nursery  rows  for  final  planting,  prune 
away  nearly  or  quite  all  side  branches,  leaving  only  the 
terminal  bud  if  the  trees  are  not  more  than  six  to  eight 
feet  high.  After  final  planting  where  the  trees  are  to 
remain  permanently,  very  little  pruning  will  ever  be 
required,  further  than  to  cut  away  branches  that  may 
cross  each  other,  or  to  shorten  some  to  give  proper  form 
to  the  head.  No  tree  in  cultivation  requires  less  prun- 
ing than  walnuts. 

As  a  genus  of  trees  the  walnuts  flourish  best  in 
deep,  rich  loam,  rather  light  than  heavy,  and  in  this 
country  require  considerable  moisture  at  the  roots,  and 
some,  like  the  butternut,  succeed  best  in  bottomlands, 
near  creeks  and  larger  streams.  If  the  soil  is  naturally 
too  dry  for  such  trees,  the  fault  can  be  readily  remedied 
by  the  use  of  some  form  of  mulch  applied  to  the  surface 
of  the  soil  around  the  stem  after  planting,  renewing  this 
annually,  or  oftener  if  necessary,  until  the  trees  are  large 
enough  to  shade  the  ground. 

Walnut  trees,  as  well  as  the  closely  allied  hickories, 
are  well  adapted  for  roadside  planting,  and  when  set  in 


224  THE    XUT    CULTURIST. 

such  positions  are  far  less  likely  to  be  injured  by  insects 
than  when  planted  in  orchards  or  large  groups,  besides 
serving  a  double  purpose,  being  ornamental  as  well  as 
useful.  They  may  also  be  planted  around  buildings, 
and  where  other  and  less  valuable  trees  are  generally 
grown.  There  are  also  millions  of  acres  of  rocky  hill- 
sides and  old  fields  which  might  be  utilized  for  nut 
orchards,  and  if  rather  widely  scattered  over  such  land 
they  would  prove  beneficial  in  shading  the  pasture 
grasses.  First  of  all,  however,  let  us  have  rows  of  these 
trees  along  all  our  country  roads,  after  which  it  will  be 
time  enough  to  begin  planting  them  elsewere. 

SPECIES  AND  VARIETIES  OF  WAHNTJTS. 

Native  of  the  United  States  (Juglans  cinerea. 
Linn.).  Butternut.  White  Walnut. — Leaflets  fifteen 
to  nineteen,  oblong-lanceolate  and  sharp-pointed,  rounded 
at  the  base,  downy,  especially  on  the  underside, 
petioles  covered  with  viscid  hairs ;  fruit  oblong,  two 
or  more  inches  in  length,  with  a  clammy  husk,  not 
opening  when  ripe,  but  closely  adhering  to  the  deeply 
-corrugated  and  rough,  thick  shell.  Trees  with  wide- 
spreading  branches,  and  of  medium  hight,  or  from  forty 
to  fifty  feet,  but  in  deep  forests  sometimes  sixty  to 
seventy,  with  stems  two  to  three  feet  in  diameter.  A 
common  tree  in  moist  soils  almost  everywhere,  from  the 
Canadas  southward  to  the  highlands  of  northern  Georgia, 
Alabama,  and  sparingly  in  Mississippi  and  Arkansas, 
and  all  the  States  bordering  the  Mississippi  river  north- 
ward to  Minnesota.  A  valuable  timber  tree,  with  soft, 
light  wood,  much  used  of  late  for  furniture  and  inside 
house  finishing.  In  early  times  the  inner  bark  was 
employed  for  making  a  yellow  dye,  also  as  a  medicine, 
the  extract  being  a  mild  cathartic,  hence  one  of  the 
specific  names,  Cathartica. 


THE   WALNUT.  225 

Synonyms  . 

Juglans  oblonga  alba,  Marshall. 

Juglans  cathartica,  Michaux. 

Carya  cathartica,  Barton,  1818. 

Wallia  cinerea,  Alefeld,  1861. 

Varieties  of  the  Butternut. — There  are  to  be 
found  many  varieties  of  the  butternut,  varying  mainly 
in  the  size  of  the  nuts,  and  only  slightly  in  the  thickness 
of  the  shell ;  but  I  am  not  aware  that  any  of  these  have 
ever  been  propagated,  all  the  trees  in  cultivation  or  else- 
where having  been  grown  from  the  nuts.  This  nut  is, 
no  doubt,  susceptible  of  great  improvement,  as  well  as 
others  of  the  genus,  and  it  is  worthy  of  being  experi- 
mented with  for  that  purpose,  especially  in  cold,  north- 
ern climates,  where  there  are  few  or  no  other  kinds  of 
edible  nuts.  Probably  the  most  direct  and  surest  way 
to  secure  improved  varieties  is  by  hybridizing,  taking 
the  butternut  for  the  female  parent,  and  the  Persian 
walnut  for  the  male.  Hybrids  between  these  two  species 
are  already  known,  and  they  will,  no  doubt,  become 
more  plentiful  as  soon  as  skillful  horticulturists  are  en- 
couraged to  produce  them.  Several  hybrid  walnuts  of 
other  species  are  figured  and  described  by  European  hor- 
ticulturists, but,  so  far  as  known,  they  are  mainly  acci- 
dental productions,  and  not  the  result  of  any  direct 
effort  of  man ;  nature,  in  this  instance,  merely  giving  a 
hint  of  the  possible,  leaving  us  to  avail  ourselves  of  the 
lesson  if  we  feel  so  inclined. 

J.  Le  Conte,  in  a  list  of  four  hundred  and  fifty 
plants,  collected  by  him  on  the  island  of  New  York 
(Manhattan),  and  published  in  the  "Medical  and  Philo- 
sophical Register,"  Vol.  II,  1812,  mentions  a  hybrid 
walnut  among  the  number.  Dr.  John  Torrey,  in  "  Cat- 
alogue ol  Plants,"  etc.,  1819,  refers  to  this  tree  under 
the  name  of  Juglans  hybrida,  and  says  that  it  is  grow- 
ing near  where  Eighth  avenue  intersects  the  road  called 
15 


226  THE   XUT   CULTURTST. 

Lake  Tours,  about  three  miles  from  the  city,  and  is  a 
large  tree.  This  specimen  probably  disappeared  long 
ago,  and  we  have  no  means  now  of  determining  its  ori- 
gin or  between  what  two  species  it  was  a  hybrid. 

Recently  Prof.  C.  S.  Sargent  has  discovered  other 
hybrid  walnuts  in  the  neighborhood  of  Boston,  and  fig- 
ured and  described  one  in  Garden  and  Forest  for  Oct. 
31,  1894.  He  says:  "My  attention  was  first  called  to 
the  fact  by  observing  that  a  tree  which  I  had  supposed 
was  a  so-called  English  walnut  (Juglans  regia),  in  the 
grounds  connected  with  the  Episcopal  school  of  Harvard 
college,  at  Cambridge,  was  not  injured  by  the  cold  of  the 
severest  winters,  although  Juglans  regia  generally  suf- 
fers from  cold  here,  and  rarely  grows  to  a  large  size. 
This  individual  is  really  a  noble  tree  ;  the  trunk  forks, 
about  five  feet  above  the  surface  of  the  ground,  into  two 
limbs,  and  girths,  at  the  point  where  its  diameter  is 
smallest,  fifteen  feet  and  two  inches.  The  divisions  of 
the  trunk  spread  slightly  and  form  a  wide,  round-topped 
head  of  pendulous  branches  of  unusual  symmetry  and 
beauty,  and  probably  sixty  to  seventy  feet  high.  A 
closer  examination  of  this  tree  showed  that  it  was  hardly 
to  be  distinguished  from  Juglans  regia  in  habit,  in  the 
character  of  the  bark,  or  in  the  form  and  coloring  of  the 
leaves,  and  that  the  oblong  nut,  with  its  thick  shell 
deeply  sculptured  into  narrow  ridges,  was  the  slightly 
modified  nut  of  our  native  butternut,  Juglans  regia. 
Two  other  trees  with  the  same  peculiarities  were  after- 
wards found.  One  is  a  large,  widespreading  specimen, 
with  a  trunk  diameter  of  four  feet  three  inches  about 
two  feet  above  the  surface  of  the  ground,  and  just  below 
the  point  where  it  divides  into  three  large  limbs.  This 
is  on  the  grounds  of  Mr.  Eben  Bacon  of  Jamaica  Plain, 
and  is  supposed  to  have  been  planted  between  fifty 
and  sixty  years  ago.  The  other  has  a  tall,  straight 
trunk,  with  a  diameter  of  three  feet  one  inch  at  three 


THE    WALNUT.  227 

feet  above  the  surface  of  the  ground,  and  is  growing  on 
a  farm  near  Hough  ton's  Pond,  in  Milton,  at  the  base  of 
the  southeastern  slope  of  the  Blue  Hills." 

That  there  should  be  hybrid  walnuts  is  nothing 
strange  or  wonderful,  and  we  often  marvel  that  there 
should  be  so  few  of  them  in  regions  where  two  or  more 
species  are  growing  in  close  proximity  in  the  same  forest 
or  elsewhere,  but  from  whence  came  these  specimens  in 
Massachusetts  is  somewhat  of  a  mystery.  We  may 
safely  conclude,  however,  that  the  hybridizing  did  not 
occur  there,  but  somewhere  else,  and  either  the  nuts  or 
small  seedling  trees  were  introduced  and  planted  where 
these  hybrid  specimens  are  now  growing.  It  is  possible 
that  they  are  descendants  of  the  old  hybrid  walnut  tree 
of  New  York  city,  mentioned  by  Le  Conte  and  Dr. 
Torrey,  some  one  having  sent  nuts  or  seedlings  to  friends 
in  Massachusetts,  and  the  three  trees  described  by  Prof. 
Sargent  are  merely  those  which  have  survived  until 
the  present  day,  these  retaining  the  hybrid  character- 
istics of  their  parent.  These  hybrids  may  or  may  not 
possess  any  special  economic  value,  but  they  are  of  con- 
siderable scientific  interest,  and  for  this  reason  alone 
are  well  worthy  of  careful  preservation  and  extensive 
propagation. 

Butternut  Sugar. — It  has  often  been  claimed  that 
sugar  can  be  made  from  the  native  butternut  tree,  and 
while  it  is  true  that  the  sweetish  sap  flows  readily  from 
wounds  made  in  this  tree  in  early  spring,  the  amount 
and  quality  of  sugar  to  be  obtained  from  it  is  scarcely 
worthy  of  serious  attention.  In  my  boyhood  days  but- 
ternut syrup  an»d  sugar  were  considered  as  "sticky  jokes" 
of  the  sugar  camp. 

Hybrids  in  California. — Mrs.  Ninetta  Eames, 
writing,  in  the  American  Agriculturist,  of  new  varieties 
of  walnuts  in  California,  refers  to  certain  species  and 
varieties  growing  in  that  State,  as  follows  : 


228  THE   NUT   CULTUBIST. 


FIG.  77.     FLOWERING  BRANCH  OF  HYBRID  WALNUT. 
J.  reuia  x  J-  Calif ornica. 


THE   WALNUT.  229 

"On  one  of  the  avenues  in  Santa  Rosa  there  are  some 
dozen  or  so  ornamental  shade  trees,  which  invariably 
attract  the  passers.  It  is  not  only  that  they  are  uncom- 
monly beautiful,  but  that  there  is  something  unfamiliar 
about  them.  One  unhesitatingly  pronounces  them 
'  walnuts/  from  their  unmistakable  likeness  to  both 
the  English  walnut  and  the  native  species  found  growing 
along  the  streams  of  middle  and  southern  California. 
They  are,  in  fact,  a  cross  between  the  Juglans  regia  and 
J.  Californica,  the  wild  black  walnut  of  .this  State.  In 
its  appearance,  this  magnificent  hybrid  is  nicely  balanced 
between  both  parents,  but  it  is  superior  to  either  of 
them  in  beauty  and  luxuriance  of  foliage,  and  in  its 
phenomenal  growth.  There  is,  indeed,  but  one  tree, 
the  eucalyptus,  that  grows  more  rapidly.  In  speaking 
of  this  quality  in  the  new  walnut,  Mr.  Luther  Bur- 
bank  says :  *  It  often  excels  the  combined  growth 
of  both  parents,  adding  twelve  to  sixteen  feet  to  its 
hight  in  one  year.  Given  like  conditions,  a  budded 
six-year-old  hybrid  is  twice  as  large  as  a  black  walnut 
at  twenty  years  of  age.' 

"The  clean  cut,  bright  green  leaves  make  a  remark- 
able showing,  being  all  the  way  from  two  feet  to  a  yard 
in  length,  and  of  graceful,  drooping  habit  (Fig.  77). 
They  are  sweet-scented,  too, — a  delightful  fragrance, 
resembling  that  of  June  apples.  Another  admirable 
feature  of  this  hybrid  walnut  is  its  smooth,  grayish  bark, 
with  white  marblings  not  unlike  the  Eastern  sugar 
maple.  The  wood  is  compact,  with  lustrous,  satiny 
grain,  and  takes  an  elegant  polish,  which  gives  it  unmis- 
takable commercial  value.  Like  the  majority  of  hybrids, 
though  blossoming  freely  it  yields  a  scant  crop  of  nuts, 
one  or  two  annually  on  a  single  tree,  and  this  only  after 
twelve  years  of  persistent  barrenness.  The  seed,  when 
planted,  goes  back  to  its  parent  distinctiveness, — one- 
half  turning  out  to  be  English  walnuts  and  the  other 


230 


THE   NUT   CULTUBIST. 


FIG.  78.    HYBKID  WALNUT.     J.  nigra^x  J-  Calif orn ice. 


FIG.  79.     HYBRID  WALNUT,  SHELL  REMOVED.     J.  nigra  X  J-  Californica. 


THE   WALNUT. 


231 


half    black    walnuts, — the    true    hybrid     being    only 
reproduced    by   grafting 
on  a  thrifty  young  Ju- 
glans  Californica. 

"Another  handsome 
novelty  in  shade  trees, 
is  a  hybrid  from  the 
Juglans  nigra,  or  well- 
known  Eastern  black 
walnut,  and  J.  Calif  or - 
nica  (Figs.  78  and  79). 
It  makes  a  charmirg 
ornamental  tree,  and 
bears,  in  its  season,  a 
prolific  crop  of  unusually 
large  nuts,  which  have 
little  value  except  in  the 
eyes  of  school  children. 
Several  of  these  hybrids 
are  growing  in  Santa 
Eosa,  and  present  an  in- 
teresting study  to  the 
pomologist. 

"A  still  more  unique 
species  of  the  walnut 
genus  is  the  Juglans  Sie- 
loldiana,  a,  Japanese  wal- 
nut which  grows  abun- 
dantly in  the  mountain- 
ous districts  of  the  island 
of  Yesso,  and  also  in  the 
more  southern  divisions 
of  the  empire.  Several 
of  these  remarkable  trees 
are  to  be  found  in  the  FIG.  80.  JUGLANS  SIEBOLDIANA RACEME. 
Kew  gardens,  but  only  one  specimen  is  said  to  be  grow- 


232 


THE    NUT    CULTUKIST. 


ing  in  America,  and  this  has  recently  come  into  pro- 
fuse bearing  on  the  Burbank  experimental  farm,  eight 
miles  from  Santa  Eosa,  California.  According  to  good 
authority,  this  Japanese  walnut  not  only  attains  its 
greatest  perfection  in  this  favored  climate,  but  it  thrives 
equally  well  in  countries  too  cold  for  the  common 
walnut,  J.  regia.  In  its  wild  state  in  Japan,  the  Juglans 
Sieboldiana  (whose  curious  raceme  of  nuts  is  shown  in 
Fig.  80)  makes  a  wide-spreading  tree  about  fifty  feet  in 
bight,  with  pale,  furrowed  bark;  nuts  an  inch  and  a 
half  long,  with  a  diameter  one-third  less,  and  a  kernel 

having  much  the 
flavor  of  the  com- 
mon walnut.  The 
tree  bearing  so 
thriftily  on  Califor- 
nia soil,  suggests  its 
possible  value  as  a 
marketable  nut, 
while  it  already  fur- 
nishes a  remarkable 
addition  to  horticul- 
tural interests." 

JUGLANS  N  i  - 
GRA,  Linn.  Black 
Walnut.— Leaflets 

FIG.  si.  BLACK  WALNUT  IN  HUSK.  eleven  to  seventeen, 
rarely  more ;  ovate-lanceolate,  smooth  above,  moderately 
pubescent  beneath,  pointed,  somewhat  heart-shaped  at 
the  base ;  leafstalks  slightly  downy,  usually  of  a  pale 
purplish  color  early  in  the  season,  especially  on  young 
trees ;  fruit  large,  mostly  globose  (Fig.  81) ;  husk  thin, 
roughly  dotted ;  shell  thick,  hard,  deeply  and  unevenly 
corrugated  with  rough,  sharp  ridges  and  points  (Fig. 
82) ;  kernel  large,  sweet,  but  usually  with  a  strong, 
rather  rank  taste,  but  less  oily  than  the  butternut. 


THE    WALNUT.  233 

Trees  grow  to  an  immense  size,  with  deeply  furrowed 
bark;  wood  dark  colored,  valuable  for  cabinet  work, 
inside  finishing,  gun  stocks,  etc.  Common  in  deep,  rich 
soils,  from  western  Massachusetts  west  to  southern  Min- 
nesota, and  southward  to  Florida.  Most  abundant  west 
of  the  Alleghany  mountains,  and  especially  in  the  rich 
valleys  of  the  Western  States  distant  from  railroads  and 
water  communication;  elsewhere  the  trees  have  long 
since  been  cut  for  their 
timber.  I  have  only  one 
synonym  to  record,  and 
this  is  scarcely  worthy  of 
notice,  viz.  :  Wallia  nigra. 
(Alefeld  in  "  Bonplandia," 
1861.) 

Varieties  of  the 
Black  Walnut. — As  with 
the  butternut,  there  are  no 
varieties  of  the  black  walnut 
in  cultivation;  at  least,  FIG.  82.  JUGLANS  NIGRA,  HUSK 
none  propagated  by  means  HEMOVED. 

which  will  insure  the  perpetuation  of  their  varietal  char- 
acteristics. It  is  true  that  there  are  plenty  of  wild  vari- 
eties to  be  found,  these  varying  widely  in  size  and  form, 
and  somewhat  in  thickness  of  their  shell,  as  well  as  the 
ease  with  which  the  kernels  may  be  extracted,  but  none 
of  these  have  been  perpetuated  by  artificial  means. 
Among  the  earliest  varieties  recognized  by  botanists, 
one  was  called  Oblong  Black  Walnut,  Juglans  nigra 
oblonga,  by  Miller,  1754,  and  perhaps  in  earlier  editions 
of  the  "Gardener's  Dictionary."  He  says  this  is  from 
Virginia,  and  only  a  variety  of  the  common  black  wal- 
nut. Marshall,  in  1785,  describes  this  "black  oblong 
fruited  walnut,"  and  adds:  "There  are,  perhaps,  some 
other  varieties."  These  oblong,  or,  more  correctly 
speaking,  oval  nuts,  often  sharp-pointed  at  both  ends, 


234  THE   NUT   CULTURIST. 

are  rather  plentiful  at  this  time.  There  are  rarely  any 
considerable  number  of  bushels  reaching  market  from 
Virginia  and  adjacent  States,  among  which  these  oval  or 
oblong  nuts  cannot  be  found.  I  have  a  number  before 
me  measuring  from  one  inch  to  one  and  a  quarter  in 
diameter,  and  from  one  and  a  half  to  nearly  two  inches 
in  length.  Other  varieties  found,  perhaps,  in  the  same 
lot,  are  broader  than  long,  or  one  and  seven -eighths 
inches  broad,  by  one  and  one-half  in  vertical  diameter. 
These  measurements  are  of  the  cleaned  shell,  after  the 
husks  have  been  removed. 

For  several  years  a  "''thin -shelled  black  walnut"  has 
been  offered  by  at  least  two  nurserymen,  in  whose  cata- 
logues they  are  described  as  "with  unusually  thin  shells, 
the  kernels  coming  out  whole."  'I  have  endeavored  to 
ascertain  the  origin  of  this  variety,  but  failed,  for  both 
of  the  nursery  firms  who  advertised  the  trees  for  sale 
admit  that  they  do  not  know  from  whom  they  obtained 
the  nuts  planted,  or  where  the  original  tree  is  growing. 
As  the  trees  offered  are  only  seedlings,  there  is  no  cer- 
tainty that  they  will  produce  nuts  with  "thin  shells." 
We  can  safely  drop  this  supposed  variety  from  the  list 
until  something  definite  is  known  about  it. 

JUGLANS  CALIFORXICA,  Watson.  California  Wal- 
nut.— Leaflets  in  from  five  to  eight  pairs,  more  or  less 
downy,  but  sometimes  smooth,  oblong-lanceolate,  sharp- 
pointed,  narrowing  upward  from  near  the  base,  two  to 
two  and  a  half  inches  long.  Male  catkins  much  larger 
than  in  our  Eastern  species,  or  from  four  to  eight  inches, 
often  in  pairs.  Fruit  round,  slightly  compressed,  three- 
fourths  to  one  inch  and  a  quarter  in  diameter ;  husk 
thin,  slightly  dotted  or  roughened ;  shell  dark  brown, 
very  faintly  sculptured  (Fig.  83),  almost  smooth,  thick, 
the  kernel  filling  two  broad  cavities  upon  each  side ;  edi- 
ble and  fairly  good.  A  tree  or  large  shrub  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  San  Francisco  and  along  the  Sacramento  (where 


THE   WALNUT.  235 

it  is  sometimes  cultivated),  growing  to  the  hight  of 
forty  to  sixty  feet,  and  two  to  four  feet  in  diameter  ; 
ranging  southward  to  Santa  Barbara,  and  eastward 
through  southern  Arizona  to  New  Mexico  and  Sonora 
(Thurber,  "Botany  of  California7').  This  species  has 
been  considered  by  some  botanists  as  only  a  variety  of 
the  next,  or  Juglans  rupestris,  var.  Major,  Torrey. 
Scarcely  hardy  in  the  latitude  of 
New  York  city,  except  an  occasional 
seedling  from  nuts  gathered  along 
the  northern  limits  of  the  species, 
or  from  the  cooler  elevated  regions 
of  the  Pacific  slope.  It  is  of  no 
special  value,  only  adding  one  more 
edible  nut  tree  to  the  list.  JUGLANS  CALIFORNIA. 

JUGLANS  EUPESTRIS,  Engelmaim.  Texas  Walnut. 
New  Mexico  Walnut.  —  Leaflets  thirteen  to  twenty-five, 
smooth,  bright  green,  small,  narrow,  and  long-pointed  ; 
male  catkins  short,  or  about  two  inches  long,  and  quite 
slender  ;  fruit  round  or  oblate  ;  husk 
thin,  nearly  smooth  ;  nut  small,  one- 
half  to  three-fourths  of  an  inch  in 
diameter  ;  shell  very  thick,  rather 
deeply  furrowed,  the  narrow  grooves  on 
the  greater  part  continuous  from  base 
to  apex,  the  broad  edges  of  the  ridges 

SmO°th'    110t    Jagged  aS  in    tlie 


PIG.   84.     JUGLANS 

RL-PESTRIS,  SHOW-  and  black  walnut.  Kernel  sweet  and 
ING  SMALL  KERNEL.  g0od?  ^nt  so  small  (Fig.  84)  as  not  to 
be  worth  the  trouble  of  extracting.  A  small  and  neat  tree 
twenty  to  forty  feet  high,  native  of  the  bottom  lands  of 
the  Colorado  in  Texas,  and  throughout  the  western  part 
of  the  State,  extending  through  southern  and  central 
New  Mexico  to  Arizona.  In  New  Mexico  it  reaches  an 
elevation  of  seven  or  eight  thousand  feet,  though  the 
climate  is  often  severe,  the  temperature  dropping  to  zero 


236  THE   XUT   CULTURIST. 

and  below  during  the  winter.  Seedlings  raised  from 
nuts  obtained  near  the  northern  limits  of  this  species  in 
Texas  and  New  Mexico  would  probably  be  hardy  in 
most  of  the  Northern  States,  but  they  are  scarcely  worth 
cultivating  for  their  nuts,  owing  to  the  small  size  and 
thick  shell ;  but  as  the  trees  are  neat  and  graceful  they 
are  worthy  of  a  place  among  other  useful  and  orna- 
mental kinds.  An  occasional  bearing  tree  of  this  Texas 
walnut  may  be  seen  in  the  gardens  and  parks  of  the 
Eastern  States,  and  probably  in  some  of  the  Western, 
but  I  have  no  direct  information  in  regard  to  their  loca- 
tions or  age. 

Synonyms  : 

Juglans  rupestris,  Torrey. 

Juglans  Calif ornica,  Watson,  Bot.  California. 

Oriental  Walnuts. — How  few  or  many  species  of 
the  walnut  are  indigenous  to  China,  Korea,  Japan  and 
other  Oriental  countries  it  would  be  very  difficult  to 
determine,  with  our  present  limited  knowledge  of  the 
forests  of  that  part  of  the  world.  The  few  botanists 
who  have  had  opportunities  of  studying  the  flora  of 
those  regions  do  not  agree  as  to  names  or  number  of 
species  of  the  genus.  Loureiro,  in  his  "Flora  Cochin- 
chinensis"  (1788),  names  three  species  as  indigenous  to 
China,  viz.  :  Juglans  regia  in  the  northern  part,  but 
this  is  now  considered  very  doubtful ;  Juglans  Camirium, 
Ehumphius,  a  medium-sized,  heart-shaped  nut,  the  trees 
found  in  the  forests,  and  also  under  cultivation  ;  Ju- 
glans Catappa,  a  large  forest  tree  in  the  Cochin  China 
mountains,  with  oblong,  edible  nuts,  with  husk  and 
shell  of  nuts  of  a  reddish  color.  Many  years  later  Sie- 
bold  describes  a  Japan  walnut  under  the  name  of  Juglans 
Japonica,  and  still  later  the  Russian  botanist,  Maxi- 
omowicz,  renames  this,  in  honor  of  Siebold,  Juglans 
Sieboldiana,  and  describes  another  native  of  Japan  as 
Juglans  cordiformis.  But  prior  to  any  of  the  authors 


THE    WALNUT.  237 

named,  Thunberg  had  described  a  Japan  walnut  under 
the  name  of  Juglans  niyra,  probably  the  same  as  Lou- 
reiro's  species,  with  reddish  husk,  but  as  this  name  had 
already  been  given  to  an  American  species  it  had  to  be 
dropped.  Maxiomowicz  also  describes  what  he  supposed 
to  be  a  distinct  species,  found  in  the  forests  of  Mand- 
shuria  under  the  name  of  J.  Mandshurica  (1872),  but 
it  is  doubtful  if  it  is  anything  more  than  one  of  the 
many  wild  forms  of  the  species  found  widely  distributed 
over  eastern  Asia.  The  red  or  black  fruited  walnut  of 
Loureiro  (/.  Catappa),  and  Siebold's  black  walnut  (J. 
nigra),  are  probably  the  same  as  the  Ailantus-leaved 
(J.  ailantifolia),  recently  described  in  Nicholson's 
"Dictionary  of  Gardening,"  London,  Eng.,  1884,  the 
origin  of  which  is  said  to  be  uncertain.  It  is  Juglans 
Mandshurica,  Maxim,  in  Alphonse  Lavallee's  "Cata- 
logue of  Arboretum  Segrezianum."  As  described  in 
this  work,  the  young  fruit  is  violet-red,  and  produced  in. 
long  pendulous  clusters,  the  latter  being  one  of  the 
marked  characteristics  of  these  Oriental  walnuts.  But 
whether  we  admit  that  there  is  but  one  or  a  dozen  spe- 
cies of  these  Eastern  walnuts,  it  cannot  be  of  any  special 
interest  to  the  practical  nut  culturist,  for  to  him  their 
economic  and  commercial  value  is  of  more  importance 
than  scientific  nomenclature. 

Up  to  the  present  time  we  have  only  succeeded  in 
obtaining  two  species  of  these  walnuts,  or  perhaps  only 
one  species  and  one  variety ;  but  we  certainly  have  two 
distinct  forms,  both  coming  from  Japan,  and  distrib- 
uted under  the  names  given  them  by  Maxiomowicz,  viz. : 

JUGLANS  SIEBOLDIANA  (Siebold  Walnut). — Leaflets 
sessile,  usually  fifteen,  five  to  seven  inches  long,  oblong- 
pointed,  thin,  soft,  downy,  serratures  very  shallow,  pale 
green  above  and  somewhat  lighter  beneath ;  footstalks 
densely  clothed  with  clammy  hairs ;  fruit  in  long  pen- 
dulous clusters  of  a  half  dozen  to  a  dozen,  one  and  a 


238  THE   XUT   CULTUKIST. 

half  inches  or  more  long  by  a  little  more  than  one  inch 
broad  in  the  middle;  husk  thin,  downy  or  clammy;  nut 
somewhat  compressed,  the  point  usually  bending  to  one 
side ;  shell  smooth,  with  two  shallow  grooves  from  base 
upward  on  the  sides  opposite  to  the  sharp,  prominent 
ridges  at  the  seams  of  the  two  lobes,  the  shell  ending  in 
a  strong,  sharp  point  (Fig.  85).  The  shell  is  very  hard 
and  thick ;  the  kernel  small,  sweet,  oily,  resembling  in 
taste  our  common  butternut;  tree  a  rapid  and  stocky 
grower,  the  coarse  shoots  and 
large  leaves  resembling  those  of 
the  Ailantus  tree  at  first,  but 
soon  spreading  branches  appear, 
forming  an  open,  roundish  head. 
The  seedlings,  as  raised  here,  are 
abundantly  supplied  with  small 
fibrous  roots,  which  insures 
transplanting  with  safety.  Ap- 
parently perfectly  hardy  in  our 
Northern  States,  as  I  have  heard 
riG.85.  JUGLANS  SIEBOLDIANA  no  complaints  of  winterkilling 
of  the  young  trees,  although  they  are  now  widely  dis- 
tributed and  in  considerable  numbers,  but  none,  so  far 
as  I  have  been  able  to  learn,  have  reached  a  bearing  age 
here  in  the  Xorth. 

Mr.  P.  C.  Berckmans,  of  Augusta,  Ga.,  in  writing 
me  under  date  of  Dec.  3,  1894,  says:  "Last  year  we 
fruited  Juglans  Sieboldiana  trees  four  years  from  the 
seed.  Fruit  was  produced  in  long  clusters,  and  trees 
exceedingly  ornamental,  but  this  year  these  same  trees 
were  killed  to  the  ground  on  the  26th  of  March,  after 
they  had  set  a  crop  of  fruit  and  made  a  young  growth  of 
more  than  twelve  inches.  This  untimely  frost  may  not 
happen  again  in  years,  but  it  goes  to  show  that  many 
varieties  of  trees  which  are  considered  hardy  further 
north,  are  sometimes  destroyed  here  by  spring  frosts." 


THE   WALNUT.  239 

As  these  Japanese  and  Chinese  walnuts  are  natives 
of  cold  climates  they  may  be  better  adapted  to  the  North- 
ern than  Southern  States,  but  there  is  no  locality  en- 
tirely exempt  from  late  spring  frosts,  as  most  farmers 
and  fruit  growers  learned  to  their  cost  the  past  season. 
There  can  be  little  doubt  of  this  species  of  walnut  being 
the  one  described  by  Rhumphius  under  the  name  of  J. 
Camirium,  and  more  fully  later  by  Loureiro,  as  already 
noted  ;  but  having  come  to  us  from  Japan  as  Siebold's 
walnut,  this  name  will  answer  as  well  as  any  other,  even 
if  it  is  not  the  proper  one. 

JUGLASTS  CORDIFORMIS,  Maxim. — In  foliage  and 
growth  of  tree  this  is  almost,  if  not  absolutely,  identical 
with  the  last ;  the  difference  observed 
is  in  the  nuts,  which  are  also  pro- 
duced in  pendulous  clusters.  The 
form  of  the  nut  is  almost  round 
(Fig.  86),  rather  blunt-pointed,  but 
the  shell  is  deeply  and  unevenly  fur- 
rowed, and  indented  somewhat  like 
our  black  walnut ;  the  ridges,  how- 
ever, are  not  as  sharp.  The  speci- 
mens I  have  received  from  various  FIG  86  JUGIjANS 
sources  are  not  as  large  as  the  Sie-  CORDIFORMIS. 
bold,  and  the  shell  not  quite  as  thick,  but  the  kernel  is 
small.  I  may  note  here  that  there  appears  to  be  some 
confusion  in  regard  to  this  variety  or  species,  for  in  sev- 
eral nurserymen's  catalogues  this  form  of  nut  is  figured 
as  Siebold's,  and  the  one  that  I  have  described  under 
that  name  is  called  Cordiformis.  The  specimens  re- 
ceived from  California,  Japan,  and  also  from  Mr.  Berck- 
mans,  correspond  with  the  names  here  given,  but  further 
investigations  may  show  that  they  should  be  reversed. 
The  one  I  have  received  as  Cordiformis  is,  doubtless, 
the  nut  described  by  Loureiro  as  J.  Catappa,  as  an 
ovate-oblong  nut,  with  a  fibrous,  leathery,  reddish  husk. 


240  THE   XUT   CULTURIST. 

While  I  do  not  suppose  that  these  Oriental  walnuts 
will  .ever  become  of  any  considerable  commercial  value, 
they  are  worth  planting  for  shade  and  ornamental  trees. 
They  are  rather  precocious,  coming  into  bearing  at  an 
early  age,  and  the  nuts  are  not  only  edible,  but  will 
always  be  an  acceptable  addition  to  the  unimportant 
although  agreeable  household  supplies. 

Persian  Walnuts.  Juglans  regia,  Linn.  Royal 
Walnut,  Madeira  Xut,  English  Walnut,  French  Walnut, 
Chile  Walnut,  etc. — Leaflets  five  to  nine,  oval,  smooth, 
pointed,  slightly  serrate ;  fruit  round  or  slightly  oval ; 
husk  thin,  green,  of  a  leathery  texture,  becoming  brittle 
and  cleaving  from  the  nut  when  ripe  and  dry;  nut 
roundish-oval,  smallest  at  the  top ;  shell  smooth,  with 
slight  indentations,  thin,  two-valved,  readily  parting  at 
the  seams;  kernel  large,  wrinkled  and  corrugated,  the 
two  lobes  separated  below  with  a  thin,  papery  partition, 
but  united  at  the  top ;  sweet,  oily,  and  generally 
esteemed. 

This  species  has  been  in  cultivation  many  centuries, 
and  in  different  countries  and  climates,  and  under  such 
variable  conditions  that  many  of  the  varie- 
ties have  departed  widely  from  the  normal 
type.  There  are  now  an  almost  innumer- 
able number  of  varieties,  varying  greatly  in 

"FTP      R7        RTVTAT  T  ^ 

FKUITED  gize  an^  form.  Some  are  not  larger  than  a 
WALNUT,  good-sized  pea,  as  seen  in  the  "  Small 
Fruited  Walnut"  (Fig.  87),  while  others  are  nearly  as 
large  as  a  man's  fist,  as  in  the  thick-shelled  or  "Gibbous 
Walnut"  (Fig.  92),  while  in  others  the  nut  is  greatly 
elongated,  as  in  the  "Barthere  Walnut"  (Fig.  88),  and 
hundreds  of  other  intermediate  forms.  There  are  also 
varieties  that  bloom  early  in  spring,  others  late.  Some 
are  very  hardy,  others  quite  tender  in  cold  climates. 
There  are  also  dwarf  and  tall-growing,  as  well  as  the 
precocious  and  tardy  fruiting  varieties.  But  very  few 


THE    WALNUT.  241 

of  these  have  ever  been  cultivated  in  our  Eastern 
States,  consequently  little  is  known  of  their  value 
here;  but  more  may  be  in  the  near  future,  when  our 
horticulturists  and  farmers  begin  to  plant  nut  trees  as 
freely  as  they  have  other  kinds,  or  are  awakened  to  the 
fact  that  such  trees  can  be  made  a  source  of  pleasure 
and  profit. 

Here  in  the  Northern  States  our  main  dependence 
for  hardy  and  productive  trees  of  this  species  will  be 
upon  seedlings  or  cions  from  those  acclimated  specimens 
which  have  already  been  thoroughly  tested  and  found  to 
be  both  hardy  and  prolific.  There  are  plenty  of  these, 
as  I  have  stated  elsewhere,  and  they  are  well  worthy  of 
attention  and  multiplication  until  something  better  is 
produced  or  discovered.  In  the  meantime,  the  most 
promising  European  varieties  could  be  imported  and 
tested,  although  it  is  not  probable  that  those  originating 
in  southern  France  and  Italy  would  be  of  much  value 
for  planting  in  the  latitude  of  New  York  city  or  north 
of  it,  but  south  of  this  line  the  chances  of  success 
would  be  somewhat  greater ;  and  to  escape  injury  from 
late  spring  frosts,  the  more  elevated  regions  are  prefer- 
able to  the  lower  and  warmer  anywhere  in  the  Southern 
States.  In  anticipation  of  the  question  being  asked,  I 
will  say  that,  at  present,  I  do  not  know  of  any  nursery- 
man in  the  Eastern  States  who  propagates  or  imports 
named  varieties  of  walnuts  for  sale.  Of  course,  seed- 
lings of  these  are  offered,  but  it  is  well  known  that  there 
is  but  a  remote  chance  of  these  coming  true  from  seed. 
Even  the  little  dwarf  French  walnut  Prwparturiens,  or 
Early  Prolific,  cannot  be  depended  upon  to  produce 
dwarf  or  early  bearing  trees  beyond  the  first  generation 
from  the  nut,  and  these  must  be  the  product  of  grafted 
trees,  to  insure  this  much.  The  following  list  contains 
the  names  .of  only  a  few  of  the  most  noted  varieties,  the 
greater  part  having  originated  in  Europe. 
16 


24, 


THE    NUT    CULTURI6T. 


AILANTUS-LEAVED  WALNUT.    See  Oriental  walnuts. 

BARTHERE  WALNUTS.  See  Fig.  88. — A  very  long 
nut,  pointed  at  both  ends.  Shell  thin  ;  kernel  large  and 
of  excellent  fla- 
vor. Named 
after  M.  Bar- 
there,  a  horti- 
culturist of 
Toulouse, 
France,  who 
discovered  i  t 
growing  among 

a  number  of  FIG.  39.  CHABERTE. 
other  trees ;  consequently,  its  origin 
is  a  mystery.  M.  Barthere  says  that 
it  is  very  productive,  and  even  the 


FIG.  88. 
BARTHERE  WALNUT. 

seedlings  of  this  va- 
riety begin  to  bear' 
very  early. 

CHABERTE.— 
An  old  standard 
French  variety,  of 
an  oval  shape ;  me- 
dium size,  with 
very  fall  and  rich 
flavored  kernel 

(Fig.      89).         The  FIG.  90.    CHILE  WALNUT. 

tree  buds  and  blooms  late,  therefore  especially  valuable 
in  localities  where  late  spring  frosts  are  likely  to  occur. 

CHILE  WALNUT. — This  name  is  given,  in  a  general 
way,  to  all  the  walnuts  received  in  our  markets  from 


THE   WALNUT.  2^3 

South  America.  The  nuts  are  usually  of  good  size,  with 
a  dark  grayish  shell ;  thin  but  firm,  with  plump  kernels 
of  excellent  flavor.  These  nuts  arrive  in  February  and 
March.  Many  of  the  Chile  walnuts  have  three  valves 
(Fig.  90),  instead  of  the  normal  two.  Such  freaks  are 
occasionally  found  among  the  European  varieties,  also 
in  the  native  hickories,  but  these  tri-valved  nuts  appear 
to  be  very  abundant  among  the  Chile  walnuts. 

CLUSTEB  WALNUT.  KACEMOSA  OR  SPICATA. — De- 
scribed by  Mr.  Gillet  as  a  variety  of  the  Persian  walnut,, 
producing  medium,  thin-shelled  nuts  in  long  clusters  of 
from  eight  to  twenty-eight.  He  also  says  that  he  intro- 
duced it  into  this  country,  but  from  whence  we  are  not 
informed.  Lavellee  (1877)  records  it  as  a  variety  of  J. 
regia,  under  the  name 
of  racemosa,  giving 
its  synonym  as  Ju- 
glans  Californica  of 
the  horticulturists. 
I  have  not  found  it 
mentioned  elsewhere. 

CUT  -L  E  AYE  D 

WALNUT. — A  variety 
with     deeply     cut 
leaves;    very   orna- 
mental,    as    seen    in  FIG.  91.    CUT-LEAVED  WALNUT. 
Fig.  91.     Nuts  quite  small,  but  of  good  quality. 

FRANQUETTE, — Another  old  standard  French  vari- 
ety, with  large,  elongated-oval  nuts  with  a  distinct  point. 
Shell  thin  ;  kernel  large,  and  of  rich  flavor.  The  tree 
blooms  late  ;  valuable  for  planting  in  the  South. 

GANT  OR  BIJOU  WALNUT. — A  remarkable  variety 
on  account  of  its  extraordinary  size.  The  shell  is  thin, 
with  rather  deep  furrows,  those  of  the  largest  size  being 
made  into  ladies'  companions,  where  to  stow  away  gloves 
or  handkerchiefs,  hence  the  name  "Gant"  walnut. 


244 


THE    NUT    CULTUKIST. 


The  kernel,  though,  does  not  correspond  to  the  size  of 
the  shell  (Gillet). 

GIBBOUS  WALNUT  (Fig.  92). — This  is  a  very  large 
variety,  supposed  to  be  a  hybrid,  raised  in  France  many 
years  ago.  It  is  of  little  value,  as  the  shell  is  very  thick 

and  kernel  small. 
Valuable  mainly  for 
its  immense  size. 

KAGHAZI. — 
This  is  supposed  to 
be  a  variety  of  the 
Persian  walnut,  of 
fair  size,  with  a  very 
thin  shell.  The  tree 
blooms  very  late  in 
spring,  and  for  this 
reason  is  recom- 
mended for  localities 
where  there  is  dan- 
ger from  injury  by 
frost.  The  tree  is 

FIG.  92.   GIBBOUS  WALNUT.  said    to    be    a    very 

rapid  grower,  and  much  more  hardy  than  the  general 
run  of  varieties  of  this  species.  I  have  been  unable  to 
learn  its  origin,  but  it  has  been  planted  quite  exten- 
sively in  California,  and  some  of  our  Eastern  nurserymen 
are  offering  the  seedling  trees  for  sale,  but  whether  they 
will  possess  the  merits  of  the  original  or  not  must  be 
determined  by  experience. 

LARGE-FRUITED  PRCEPAETURIEXS. — A  sub-variety 
of  the  Proeparturiens,  originating  with  Mr.  Felix  Gillet 
of  California. 

LATE  PRCEPARTURIENS. — Also  originated  with  Mr. 
Gillet.  Valuable  because  the  trees  bloom  late  in  spring. 
Nuts  described  as  of  medium  size,  but  with  full  kernels 
of  excellent  quality. 


THE    WALNUT. 


MATETTE. — Very  large  (Fig.  93),  with  a  light-col- 
ored shell  of  moderate  thickness.  Kernel  plump,  read- 
ily extracted  whole,  as  shown  in  Fig.  94,  sweet,  and  a 


FIG.  y3.  MAYETTE. 


'IG.  94.  KERNEL  OF  WALNUT. 


rich,  nutty  flavor.     Tree  blooms  late  and  is  very  produc- 
tive.    An  old  and  standard  French  variety. 

MESANGE    OB    PAPER-SHELL. — This  nut    has    the 
thinnest  shell  of  any  variety  known ;  it  derives  its  name 


FIG.  95.  J.  REGIA  OCTOGONA. 


FIG.  96.   CROSS  SECTION. 


of  Mesange  from  a  little  lark  of  that  name,  that  goes  to 
the  kernel  through  the  tender  shell.  Tree  very  produc- 
tive, and  the  kernel  quite  rich  in  oil.  We  do  not,  how- 
ever, recommend  the  growing  of  this  variety  for  market, 
on  account  of  the  thinness  of  the  shell,  which  breaks  off 


246  THE   NUT   CULTURIST. 

too  easily  in  handling  the  nuts,  or  even  when  they  drop 
on  the  ground  (Felix  Gillet). 

MEYLAN  WALNUT. — A  French  variety  that  orig- 
inated near  the  little  village  of  of  Meylan,  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  which  it  is  quite  extensively  cultivated  for  home 
use  and  export. 

OCTOGONA. — Of  uncertain  origin,  but  very  much 
resembles  one  of  the  Oriental  species  in  the  form  and 
sculpture  of  the  shell  (Fig.  95).  The  shell  is  also  very 
thick,  as  shown  in  the  cross  section  (Fig.  96).  Of  no 
special  value. 

PARISIENNE  WALNUT. — Although  this  was  named 
for  the  city  of  Paris  it  did  not  originate  there,  but  in 

the  South  of  France.  It  is  a 
large  and  rather  broad  variety, 
with  a  firm  but  thin  shell  (Fig. 
97)  and  excellent  flavored  ker- 
nel. It  is  reported  that  this 
variety  succeeds  in  California, 
also  in  the  South  wherever 
tried.  The  trees  leaf  out  late 
in  spring  and  are  rarely  in- 
jured by  frosts,  and  are  re- 
no.  97.  PARISIENNE.  markably  productive. 
PR^PARTURIENS.  Precocious  Dwarf  Prolific. — A 
French  variety  of  a  dwarf  habit,  and  the  plants  noted 
for  bearing  when  very  young.  A  correspondent  of  The 
Garden  (London,  Eng.),  referring  to  this  variety  some 
years  ago,,  says  :  "  It  is  precocious  on  account  of  the 
singular  and  exceptional  fact  that  it  is  born  almost  an 
adult ;  in  fact,  it  is  nothing  uncommon  to  see  a  tree  in 
its  third  year  bearing  excellent  fruit."  He  does  not  say, 
however,  whether  he  refers  to  seedlings  or  grafted 
plants,  but  we  may  presume  the  latter  or  those  raised 
from  layers,  for  cultivators  who  have  experimented  with 
seedlings  have  found  that  they  possess  a  strong  tendency 


THE    WALXUT.  247 

to  revert  to  the  original  or  tree  form.  This  may  not 
show  itself  very  strongly  in  the  first  generation  if  the 
nuts  are  obtained  from  grafted  trees  of  some  age,  but  in 
the  second  and  third  generation  the  early-fruiting  and 
dwarf  are  usually  entirely  lost.  The  only  certain  way  of 
securing  the  true  variety  is  by  grafting  or  layering,  but 
it  is  to  be  feared  that  very  few  trees  propagated  by  these 
modes  are  in  cultivation,  at  least  in  the  Eastern  States, 
although  nurserymen  have  been  offering  Pra3parturiens 
walnut  trees  in  their  catalogues  during  the  past  fifty 
years.  In  one  now  before  me,  published  in  New  York 
city  in  1844,  trees  of  this  walnut  are  offered  at  one  dol- 
lar each,  or  about  what  is  charged  for  seedlings  at  the 
present  time.  As  nothing  is  said  in  the  catalogues  about 
the  mode  of  propagation,  we  infer  that  they  are  seed- 
lings, as  grafted  trees  would  be  worth  more  than  one 
dollar.  The  nuts  of  this  dwarf 
walnut  are  of  medium  size,  thin- 
shelled  and  of  excellent  flavor; 
valuable  for  gardens  of  limited 
extent. 

SEROTINA.  Late  Walnut,  St. 
John  Walnut. — A  very  peculiar 
sort,  inasmuch  as  it  is  the  latest 
of  all  to  bud  and  bloom  in  spring, 
and  yet  it  pushes  forward  so  rap-  FIG  98  SEROTIXA  OR 
idly  that  the  nuts  are  ripe  with  ST.  JOHN. 

others  in  the  fall.  They  are  of  medium  size  (Fig.  98), 
with  a  rather  hard  shell,  but  the  kernel  is  plump  and 
good  flavored.  The  tree  is  very  productive,  and  sure  to 
escape  late  spring  frosts. 

VTLMORIN. — This  is  claimed  to  be  a  hybrid  between 
some  variety  of  J.  regia  and  our  native  black  walnut, 
J.  nigra.  Scarcely  known  outside  of  France. 

VOUREY. — A  new  and  splendid  variety  raised  near 
Vourey,  a  small  town  in  southeast  France.  It  has  much 


248  THE   NUT   CULTURIST. 

the  same  shape  and  qualities  of  the  Parisienne  walnut 
(Gillet). 

VARIEGATED  WALNUT. — A  handsome  variety,  with 
young  branches  covered  with  dark-green  bark  spotted 
with  gray,  and  often  striped  longitudinally  with  yellow. 
The  leaves  resemble  those  of  the  common  walnut ;  the 
fruit  is  of  a  light  yellowish-green  streaked  with  darker 
green,  and  reminds  one  closely  of  certain  varieties  of 
pears  which,  in  common  with  this  variety,  frequently 
have  their  young  branches  striped  in  a  similar  manner. 
Propagated  by  grafting  or  layers.  ( The  Garden. ) 

WEEPING  WALNUT. — A  tree  with  pendulous  twigs 
and  branches.  Quite  ornamental,  but  not  especially 
valuable  for  its  fruit.  Hardy  in  England. 

In  addition  to  those  described,  there  are  a  large 
number  of  varieties,  which  may  be  worth  importing 
and  testing  in  this  country,  by  those  who  may  feel 
inclined  to  make  experiments  with  these  nuts.  Prob- 
ably some  of  those  highly  extolled  by  earlier  writers  are 
now  lost,  but  this  cannot  be  determined  until  a  care- 
ful search  through  the  old  European  gardens  has 
been  made. 

Among  the  early-fruiting  or  precocious  varieties  we 
find  an  account  of  one  raised  by  Anthony  Carlisle,  of 
England,  as  recorded  in  a  paper  read  at  a  meeting  of  the 
Horticultural  Society  of  London,  March  3,  1812.  Mr. 
Carlisle  planted  six  nuts  in  March,  1802,  these  hav- 
ing been  received  from  Mr.  Thomas  Wedgewood  of 
Blandford.  Six  years  later,  or  in  1808,  one  of  the  seed- 
lings bore  and  matured  ten  walnuts,  and  the.  next  season 
(1809)  upwards  of  fifty,  and  in  1810  one  hundred  and 
twelve,  the  tree  at  that  age  being  nineteen  feet  seven 
and  one-half  inches  high.  Another  variety,  under  the 
name  of  Highflyer  walnut,  is  described  in  the  Transac- 
tions of  the  same  society,  Vol.  IV,  1822,  p.  517.  The 
nuts  sent  to  the  society  were  grown  in  the  town  of  Thet- 


THE    WALNUT.  249 

ford,  and  are  described  as  a  long  oval,  with  a  shell  so 
very  thin  that  the  slightest  pressure  of  the  fingers 
crushes  it.  I  find  that  this  Highflyer  walnut  is  men- 
tioned in  the  recently  published  "Dictionary  of  Gar- 
dening," but  whether  obtainable  in  English  nurseries  or 
not  we  are  left  in  doubt. 

I  refer  to  these  English  varieties  mainly  to  show 
that  some  of  the  very  best  and  thinnest-shelled  walnuts 
have  been  grown  in  cool  climates,  and  are  not  confined 
entirely  to  the  warm  or  semi-tropical,  as  many  persons 
seem  to  suppose  and  even  claim  to  be  the  fact.  It  is 
principally  from  these  English  walnuts,  as  they  are  usu- 
ally termed,  that  our  hardy  old-bearing  trees,  referred 
to  elsewhere,  have  been  produced,  and,  doubtless,  many 
more  will  be,  when  we  begin  to  pay  some  attention  to 
this  very  valuable  nut.  It  is  also  quite  likely  that  when 
our  horticulturists  look  about  for  choice  acclimated 
varieties  for  propagation,  they  will  be  found  right  here 
in  the  grounds  of  next-door  neighbors,  and  there  may  be 
no  necessity  of  sending  to  Europe  or  elsewhere  for  either 
nuts  or  trees. 

At  present  there  is  much  confusion  and  uncertainty 
in  regard  to  the  identity  and  nomenclature  of  both  spe- 
cies and  varieties  of  the  walnut,  and  it  must  remain  so 
until  they  are  collected  from  all  countries  and  climes,  of 
which  they  are  either  native  or  into  which  they  have 
been  introduced,  and  when  so  collected,  and  fruiting 
specimens  produce,  it  will  not  be  difficult  to  classify 
and  determine  their  synonyms.  This  will  be  an  under- 
taking scarcely  to  be  expected  of  the  individual  nut  cul- 
turist,  but  is  within  the  legitimate  line  of  the  arboretum, 
and  of  public  botanical  gardens  located  in  both  cold  and 
warm  climates,  thereby  securing  a  division  of  labor,  and 
at  the  same  time  avoiding  the  uncertainty  of  trying  to 
produce  practical  results  under  uncongenial  conditions 
and  surroundings. 


250  THE   XTT   CULTURIST. 

Husking  Walnuts. — The  husks  of  nearly  all  the 
varieties  of  the  Persian  and  Oriental  walnuts  part  from 
their  shells  freely  when  fully  ripened  and  dried,  but  in  a 
few  varieties  the  husks  are  rather  persistent,  requiring 
force  and  friction  for  their  removal.  This  may  be  ac- 
complished by  placing  them  in  bags  and  shaking,  or  in 
barrels  and  rolling,  until  the  nuts  are  scraped  clean. 
But  the  better  way,  where  there  is  any  considerable 
quantity  of  nuts  to  be  operated  upon,  is  to  take  a  strong 
barrel  or  cask,  and  so  arrange  it  on  standards  that  it- 
can  be  rapidly  revolved  with  a  crank  attacked  to  one 
end.  Of  course,  the  cask  must  have  its  two  heads  left 
in  place,  and  an  opening  made  in  the  side  to  admit  the 
nuts  and  remove  them  when  cleaned.  Almost  any  man 
handy  with  tools  can  make  such  a  cleaner  and  polisher 
in  a  few  hours,  and  if  stored  in  a  dry  place  it  will  last 
for  several  years.  With  butternuts  and  black  walnuts 
the  husks  are  much  tougher,  and  they  should  be  thrown 
into  heaps  in  the  open  air,  and  turned  over  occasionally 
until  the  husks  become  softened  sufficiently  to  permit 
of  their  removal,  in  case  they  are  to  be  sent  to  market. 
Ordinary  threshing  machines  may  be  used  for  cleaning 
the  husks  from  black  walnuts,  by  removing  about  one- 
half  the  teeth,  or  enough  to  allow  the  nuts  to  pass 
through  without  breaking  their  shells. 

Most  of  the  hickories  drop  from  the  husk,  leaving 
the  nut  clean ;  bufc  in  some  varieties  of.  the  pecan  the 
inner  part  of  the  husk  adheres  rather  tenaciously,  and 
they  sell  better  if  cleaned  ;  besides,  some  have  rather 
rough  and  thick  shells,  and  a  little  scraping  and  polish- 
ing adds  much  to  their  appearance.  The  revolving  cask, 
either  worked  by  hand  or  other  power,  is  an  excellent 
implement  for  preparing  these  nuts  for  market,  and  if 
the  husk  is  very  persistent,  a  little  dry  sand  thrown  in 
will  aid  in  cleaning  and  polishing.  Sometimes  these 
nuts  are  subjected  to  what  is  called  the  soapstone  polish, 


THE    WALNUT.  251 

leaving  the  shells  very  smooth,  with  a  greasy  feel.  The 
French  walnuts,  which  are  extensively  imported  under 
the  general  name  of  Grenoble  walnuts,  are  usually 
bleached  with  sulphur  before  they  are  shipped,  and 
while  this  adds  nothing  to  the  quality  of  the  kernel,  the 
sulphur  is  an  excellent  insecticide  and  fungicide,  and 
may  be  of  some  use  on  that  account }  but  otherwise  it  is 
likely  to  be  more  injurious  than  beneficial.  As  blench- 
ing both  walnuts  and  almonds  is  often  insisted  upon  by 
dealers,  I  give  the  process  suggested  by  Director  Hilgard, 
of  the  California  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  which 
he  believes  will  prove  more  satisfactory  than  the  one 
usually  employed,  and  is  as  follows  : 

"The  nuts,  placed  in  small  baskets  (such  as  the 
Chinese  use  for  carrying),  are  dipped  for  about  five  min- 
utes in  a  solution  containing  to  every  fifty  gallons  of 
water  six  pounds  of  bleaching  powder  and  twelve  pounds 
of  sal  soda.  They  are  then  rinsed  with  a  hose,  and 
after  draining,  again  dipped  into  another  solution  con- 
taining one  per  cent  of  bisulphite  of  lime ;  after  the 
nuts  have  assumed  the  desired  tint,  they  are  again  rinsed 
with  water  and  then  dried.  Instead  of  the  second  dip- 
ping, the  nuts  may  be  sulphured  (fumigated)  for  ten  or 
fifteen  minutes.  The  cost  of  fifty  gallons  of  chlorine 
dip  will  be  about  forty  cents  ;  the  same  bulk  of  the  bisul- 
phite dip,  probably  considerably  less.  The  time  occu- 
pied in  handling  one  batch  (two  dips)  is  from  twelve  to 
fifteen  minutes." 

Insect  Enemies. — The  walnut  is  attacked  by  the 
same  kinds  of  insects  that  infest  the  hickories,  with, 
perhaps,  a  few  exceptions ;  as,  for  instance,  the  bark 
beetles  and  the  nut  weevils.  The  leaves  appear  to  be 
more  or  less  acceptable  food  for  the  caterpillars  that 
feed  on  the  hickories,  and  the  same  insecticides  and 
means  employed  for  destroying  these  pests  on  one  will 
answer  for  the  other. 


252 


THE   isUT   CULTURIST. 


THE    WALNUT.  253 

The  caterpillars  of  some  of  the  smaller  kinds  of 
moths  are,  as  a  rule,  far  more  destructive  to  the  leaves 
than  the  larger,  and  their  ravages  often  escape  notice 
until  it  is  too  late  for  the  use  of  preventives,  or  for  their 
destruction  with  insecticides. 

Ever  since  I  became  connected  with  the  New  York 
city  press,  some  thirty  odd  years  ago,  scarcely  a  season 
has  passed  during  which  one  or  more  specimens  of  the 
Eegal  walnut  caterpillar  (Citheronia  regalis),  shown  in 
Fig.  99,  have  not  been  received  from  some  correspondent 
who  had  found  them  crawling  down  the  stem  or  on  the 
ground  near  a  walnut  tree.  Such  a  large  caterpillar 
would  naturally  attract  the  attention  of  almost  any  per- 
son, but  to  the  timid  its  appearance  is  exceedingly  fero- 
cious and  repulsive,  while  to  the  entomologist  it  is  a 
beautiful  and  interesting  creature,  and  far  more  likely 
to  be  handled  with  care  than  injured.  This  caterpillar 
is  of  a  green  color,  and  transversely  banded  across  each 
of  the  rings  with  pale  blue.  The  head  and  legs  are  of 
an  orange  color,  also  the  long  spine  or  horns,  with  the 
points  tipped  with  black.  It  is  certainly  very  formid- 
able in  appearance,  but  perfectly  harmless,  and  may  be 
handled  with  impunity.  The  parent  moth  (Fig.  100) 
has  fore  wings  of  an  olive  color,  ornamented  with  small 
yellow  spots  and  veined  with  red  lines.  The  hind  wings 
are  orange-red,  with  two  large  irregular  yellow  patches 
before,  and  a  row  of  wedge-shaped  olive  colored  spots 
between  the  veins  behind.  Although  this  insect  appears 
to  be  widely  distributed  over  the  country,  and  the  cat- 
erpillars feed  on  the  walnuts  and  occasionally  on  the 
hickory,  it  has  never  been  known  to  be  sufficiently  nu- 
merous to  attract  any  special  attention. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

MISCELLANEOUS    XUTS EDIBLE    AND    OTHERWISE. 

In  the  following  list  of  plants  there  are  a  few  that 
in  no  way  can  be  considered  as  related  to  the  true  nut- 
bearing  trees  and  shrubs;  but  as  the  word  "nut"  has 
been  attached  as  a  prefix  or  affix  in  commerce,  or  else- 
where, they  are  admitted,  even  if  for  no  other  purpose 
than  to  designate  their  true  position  in  the  vegetable 
kingdom.  For  convenience,  they  are  recorded  in  alpha- 
betical order,  the  most  familiar  of  the  common  names — 
where  there  are  more  than  one — being  given  precedence, 
the  botanical  or  scientific  following,  with  a  brief  descrip- 
tion, as  my  limited  space  will  not  permit  of  anything 
more  extended. 

It  is  not  claimed  that  this  catalogue  cf  nuts  is  com- 
plete, but  it  is  probably  as  near  it  as  any  heretofore 
compiled  and  published,  and  it  may  serve  as  the 
basis  for  a  better  and  more  extended  one  at  some  future 
time. 

ACORN,  OR  OAK  NUT. — The  fruit  of  the  oak,  Quer- 
cus  (Cupuliferce),  monoecious,  evergreen  and  deciduous 
trees  and  shrubs,  with  alternate  and  simple  straight- 
veined  leaves.  A  very  large  genus,  of  about  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  species,  mainly  in  the  temperate  region  of 
the  northern  hemisphere.  There  are  some  forty  species 
native  of  the  United  States.  The  nuts  are,  on  the 
whole,  rather  too  harsh  and  bitter  flavored  to  be  es- 
teemed or  considered  edible  by  civilized  nations  at  the 
present  day,  but  in  former  times  some  of  the  oak  nuts 
were  often  an  important  article  among  the  garnered  food 

254 


MISCELLANEOUS   NUTS.  255 

of  the  household.  They  were  used — and  are  still,  in 
some  countries — boiled,  roasted,  and  even  ground  and 
made  into  bread  and  cakes.  They  have  also  been  used 
as  a  substitute  for  coffee,  and  for  malt  in  making  beer. 
Strabo  says  that  in  the  mountains  of  Spain  the  inhab- 
itants ground  their  acorns  into  meal,  and  Pliny  affirms 
that  in  his  time  acorns  were  brought  to  the  table  with 
the  dessert,  in  Spain.  Every  student  of  English  history 
is  well  aware  of  the  importance  of  the  acorn,  not  only 
as  food  for  man,  in  Great  Britain,  in  the  time  of  the 
Druids,  and  later,  but  also  for  feeding  swine,  deer,  and 
other  wild  and  domesticated  animals.  But  with  the 
advance  of  civilization  and  the  production  of  better 
food,  the  oak  nut  ceased  to  be  classed  among  the  impor- 
tant culinary  supplies.  There  are,  however,  a  few  spe- 
cies of  the  oak  yielding  nuts  fairly  edible  in  their  raw 
state,  and  these  are  much  improved  by  roasting.  The 
best  of  those  among  our  native  species  are  to  be  found 
in  the  varieties  of  the  white  oaks  of  the  North,  and  in 
the  evergreen  (Quercus  virens)  of  the  Southern  States. 
But  with  so  many  far  superior  species  of  edible  nuts,  it 
is  very  doubtful  if  any  of  the  oaks  will  ever  be  cultivated 
for  their  fruit. 

AUSTRALIAN  CHESTNUT. — The  seeds  of  a  large  tree, 
native  of  Australia,  the  Castanospermum  australe,  the 
name  of  the  genus  being  derived  from  Kastanon,  chest- 
nut, and  sperma,  a  seed,  because  the  seeds  resemble,  in 
size  and  taste,  the  common  chestnut.  But  the  tree 
belongs  to  the  bean  family  (Leguminosece),  and  the  seeds 
are  produced  in  large,  long  pods.  They  are  about  an 
inch  and  a  half  broad,  somewhat  flattened,  and  of  the 
color  of  a  chestnut  when  ripe.  They  are  roasted  and 
eaten  by  the  natives,  bat  are  rather  unpalatable  to  those 
who  have  been  accustomed  to  something  better  in  the 
way  of  edible  nuts.  These  seeds  are  also  known  as 
"Moreton  Bay  chestnuts." 


256  THE   XUT   CULTURIST. 

AUSTRALIA x  HAZELXUT. — The  fruit  of  Macadamia 
ternifolia  (Proteacece).  There  are  two  species,  both 
evergreen  trees  or  tall  shrubs  confined  to  eastern  Aus- 
tralia. The  fruit  is  a  kind  of  drupe  with  a  fleshy  exte- 
rior, enclosing  a  hard  shelled  nut,  not  unlike  a  small 
walnut.  The  kernel,  when  mature,  has  a  rich  and 
agreeable  flavor,  much  like  but  richer  than  the  hazelnut, 
hence  one  of  its  local  names,  for  it  is  also  known  as 
"Queensland  nut."  This  nut  tree  would  probablv 
thrive  in  southern  Florida,"  and  in  the  warmer  parts  of 
California. 

BEX  XUT. — Fruit  of  Moringa  aptera  (Moringece). 
Small,  unarmed  trees ;  only  three  species  in  the  order, 
these«inhabiting  tropical  Asia,  northern  Africa  and  the 
West  Indies.  The  one  producing  the  ben  nuts  grows 
from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  high,  and  is  found  in  upper 
Egypt,  Syria  and  Arabia.  The  seeds, — or  nuts,  as  they 
are  called, — are  produced  in  capsules  or  seed-pods  about 
a  foot  long,  and  while  not  edible,  an  oil  is  expressed 
from,  them  which  is  largely  used  in  the  manufacture  of 
perfumery,  and  known  in  commerce  as  ben  oil.  Another 
species,  the  M.  pterygosperma,  or  winged-seeded  Mo- 
ringa, is  known  as  the  horse-radish  tree,  the  bark  of  the 
roots  being  used  as  a  substitute  for  horse-radish. 

BETEL  XUT  OR  PIXAXG. — The  fruit  of  a  lofty  palm, 
Areca  Catechu  (Palmacece).  A  native  of  Cochin  China, 
the  Malayan  Peninsula,  and  adjacent  islands.  A  slender- 
stemmed  palm,  with  regular  pinnate  leaves  and  long, 
narrow  leaflets.  The  fruit  is  produced  on  an  erect, 
fleshy  spike,  each  fruit  about  the  size  of  a  hen's  egg, 
with  a  thick,  fibrous  rind  or  husk,  enclosing  a  hard  nut 
somewhat  like  an  ordinary  nutmeg.  These  are  used  by 
being  cut  into  small  pieces  or  slices,  then  rolled  up  in  a 
leaf  of  the  betel  pepper  (Piper  betel),  a  little  lime  sprin- 
kled over  it,  and  then  chewed  or  held  in  the  mouth,  as 
practiced  by  those  who  use  tobacco  for  chewing.  This 


MISCELLANEOUS   NUTS.  257 

habit  of  chewing  the  betel  nut  is  said  to  be  almost  uni- 
versal among  the  Malayan  races,  all  carrying  a  box  con- 
taining the  nut  leaf  and  lime.  These  nuts  are  shipped 
in  large  quantities  to  countries  where  they  do  not  grow, 
and  the  habit  of  chewing  them  has  spread  enormously, 
of  late  years,  and  is  likely  to  increase,  as  it  has  with 
tobacco;  and  the  effect  upon  the  users  is  said  to  be 
very  similar,  although  some  authorities  claim  that  the 
betel  is  the  most  injurious  of  the  two,  having  a  far  more 
deleterious  effect  upon  the  teeth  and  gums.  But  this 
may  be  due  to  the  use  of  the  lime.  Travelers  in  coun- 
tries where  these  nuts  are  in  common  use  tell  wonderful 
tales  about  the  invigorating  effects  of  the  betel,  and  how 
their  assistants  and  followers  are  enabled,  by  its  use,  to 
perform  the  most  exhausting  labor  for  days  at  a  time, 
which,  without  it,  would  be  impossible.  We  have  no 
doubt  that  the  users  of  tobacco  will  claim  just  as  much 
for  this  narcotic  weed,  and  probably  could  produce  as 
many  trustworthy  witnesses  in  support  of  it.  The  betel 
is,  like  tobacco,  a  narcotic  stimulant,  and  causes  gid- 
diness in  persons  unaccustomed  to  it,  excoriates  the 
mouth,  and  is  so  burning  that  Western  nations  will  be 
slow  to  adopt  this  Eastern  habit. 

BLADDER  NUT. — A  rather  inappropriate  name  for 
the  seed  pods  and  small  seeds  of  one  of  our  common 
large  deciduous  shrubs,  the  Stapliylea  trifolia.  It  is 
sometimes  planted  for  ornament.  The  small  white 
flowers  are  produced  in  hanging  racemes,  succeeded  by 
large  bladdery  pods,  hence  its  common  name. 

BRAZIL  NUT. — The  fruit  of  BertJiolletia  excelsa,  a 
lofty  tree  of  the  myrtle  family  (Myrtacece).  The  tree 
attains  a  height  of  from  one  hundred  to  one  hundred 
and  fifty  feet,  with  stems  three  to  four  feet  in  diameter. 
The  leaves  are  broad,  smooth,  and  about  two  feet  long, 
rather  thick,  and  of  the  texture  of  leather.  The  fruit 
is  produced  mainly  on  the  uppermost  branches,  and  is 
17 


258 


THE    NUT   CULTURIST. 


globular,  four  to  six  inches  in  diameter,  with  a  brittle 
husk  on  the  outside,  and  within  this  a  hard,  tough, 
woody  shell,  fully  one-half  inch  thick,  containing  a  large 
number  of  the  closely  packed,  three-sided,  rough  nuts, 
about  an  inch  and  a  half  to  two  inches  or  over  in  length, 
as  seen  in  Fig.  101.  The  kernels  are  very  white,  solid 
and  oily.  When  mature  the  fruit  falls  entire,  and  the 
natives  of  the  country  collect  them,  splitting  the  shells 
to  obtain  the  nuts.  An  occasional  entire  fruit  is  sent  to 
other  countries,  as  a  curiosity, 
or  for  the  cabinet  of  some  bota- 
nist. The  Brazil  nut  is  not 
only  indigenous  to  Brazil,  but 
also  of  Guiana,  Venezuela  (form- 
ing immense  forests  on  the  Or- 
inoco, where  they  are  called 
Juvia),  and  southward  on  the 
Rio  Negra  and  in  the  valley 
of  the  Amazon.  In  fact,  the 
supply  appears  to  be  inexhaust- 
ible; the  only  difficulty  is  in 
getting  the  nuts  from  the  for- 
ests to  some  point  where  they 
can  be  shipped  out  of  the 
country.  The  principal  export 
is  from  Para,  but  there  are 
many  smaller  cities  a.nd  towns 
where  a  load  of  these  nuts  may  be  obtained  on  short 
notice.  A  very  superior  oil  may  be  obtained  from  the 
nuts,  by  pressure,  but  the  principal  use  for  them  is  for 
desserts  and  confectionery.  They  are  always  abundant 
in  our  city  markets. 

BREAD  XUT. — The  fruit  of  a  large  tree,  the  Brosi- 
mum  Alicastrum,  of  the  bread  fruit  family  (Artocar- 
pacea),  native  of  the  West  Indies,  but  best  known  in 
Jamaica.  The  botanical  authorities  disagree  in  regard 


FIG.   101.     BRAZIL  NUT. 


MISCELLANEOUS   NUTS.  259 

to  this  species,  some  claiming  that  it  is  a  large  tree,  with 
wood  similar  to  mahogany  ;  others  that  it  is  only  a  small 
shrub,  only  five  or  six  feet  high.  It  has  lance-shaped 
leaves,  male  and  female  flowers-  in  globular  heads,  and 
usually  on  separate  trees.  The  fruit  is  about  the  size  of 
a  plum,  containing  one  seed  or  nut,  which  is  only  edi- 
ble after  roasting. 

BUFFALO  NUT. — See  Oil  nut. 

BUTTERNUT. — See  Souari  nut. 

BYZANTIUM  NUT, — See  Filberts,  Chap.  VI. 

CANDLE  NUTS. — A  small  evergreen  tree,  the  Aleu- 
rites  triloba  of  the  spurgewort  family  (EuphorUacece). 
It  is  a  native  of  most  warm  countries  of  the  East :  India, 
Malay,  southern  Japan,  and  nearly  all  the  islands  of  the 
Pacific  ocean,  and  in  some  of  these  it  is  cultivated  for 
the  fruit,  which  is  about  two  inches  in  diameter.  In 
the  center  there  is  a  hard  nut,  very  oily,  with  the  flavor 
of  the  walnut.  The  oil  obtained  from  these  nuts  is  in 
common  use  among  the  natives  of  the  Polynesian  islands. 
In  the  Hawaiian  group  the  kernels  are  strung  on  a 
small,  dry  stick,  which  serves  the  purpose  of  a  wick, 
and  then  one  end  lighted,  as  with  an  ordinary  tallow 
or  wax  candle,  hence  probably  the  common  name  of 
candle  nut.  These  nuts  are  said  to  be  used  in  the 
same  way  in  India.  Large  quantities  of  oil  is  also 
expressed  from  them  and  used  for  various  purposes, 
and  occasionally  small  quantities  are  exported  to  Euro- 
pean countries. 

CAPE  CHESTNUT. — The  name  of  a  beautiful  ever- 
green ornamental  tree,  native  of  south  Africa,  and  re- 
cently introduced  into  European  gardens  from  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope,  hence  its  common,  and  its  specific  sci- 
entific name,  Calodendron  capense.  It  belongs  to  the 
Eue  family  (Rutacece).  The  flowers  are  red,  produced 
in  long  terminal  racemes,  the  tree  growing  about  forty 
feet  high,  and  said  to  be  one  of  the  finest  trees  of  that 


260  THE    NUT    CULTURIST. 

part  of  Africa.     It  is  now  under  trial  in  Florida.     Why 
called  a  chestnut  I  haye  been  unable  to  discover. 

CASHEW  NUT. — A  large  shrub  or  small  tree,  native 
of  the  West  Indies,  and  for  this  reason  often  referred  to 
as  the  "Western  Cashew,"  or  Anacardium  occidental. 


FIG.  102.     THE   CASHEW  XUT. 


It  belongs  to  the  Terebinth  family  (Anacardium),  con- 
sequently is  closely  related  to  our  native  poison  sumachs 
(Rhus).  The  tree  is  an  evergreen,  with  entire  feather- 
veined  leaves ;  flowers  of  a  reddish  color,  very  small, 


MISCELLANEOUS    NUTS.  261 

sweet-scented,  and  produced  in  terminal  panicles.  The 
fruit  is  kidney-shaped,  and  borne  on  a  fleshy  receptacle, 
and  when  ripe  of  reddish  or  yellow  color.  The  nut 
proper  is  enclosed  in  a  leathery  covering,  consisting  of 
two  layers,  between  which  is  deposited  a  thick,  caustic, 
oily  substance,  exceedingly  acrid ;  but  this  is  eliminated 
by  heat,  so  that  when  the  kernels  are  roasted  they  have 
a  pleasant  flavor  and  are  highly  esteemed  for  dessert. 
Some  care  is  required  in  roasting  these  nuts,  as  the 
fumes  given  off  during  this  operation  cause  inflamma- 
tion of  the  eyes.  The  nuts  also  yield  an  excellent  oil, 
very  similar  to  the  best  olive  oil.  Although  originally 
found  only  in  the  West  Indies,  this  nut  is  now  widely 
distributed  throughout  the  tropical  countries  of  the 
East ;  in  fact,  naturalized  in  all  hot  climates,  and  is  also 
under  trial  in  southern  Florida. 

CAUCASIAN  WALNUT.  WINGED  WALNUT. — The 
winged  fruit  of  Pterocarya  fraxinifolia,,  also  known  as 
P.  Caucasica  of  nurserymen's  catalogues.  It  belongs  to 
the  walnut  family  (Juglandacece) ,  and  is  a  tree  growing 
thirty  to  forty  feet  high,  somewhat  resembling  the  com- 
mon ash  (Fraxinus).  It  is  a  pretty,  hardy,  ornamental 
tree,  thriving  only  in  moist  soils.  Seeds  on  winged  nuts 
produced  in  long,  drooping  racemes,  but  of  no  special 
value.  Introduced  into  England  from  Caucasus  in  1800, 
and  now  plentiful  here  in  nurseries. 

CHESTNUT. — See  Chapter  V ;  also  Horse-chestnut, 
and  More  ton  Bay,  Tahiti  and  Water  chestnuts. 

CHOCOLATE  NUT  OK  BEAN. — The  seeds  of  a  small 
tropical  tree,  Theobroma  Cacao,  of  the  chocolate  nut 
family  (Sterculiacece).  Indigenous  to  tropical  America, 
but  now  cultivated  more  or  less  extensively  in  all  hot 
climates.  The  tree  grows  from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet 
high,  with  long,  pointed,  smooth  leaves.  The  flowers 
are  small,  yellow,  and  produced  from  the  old  wood  of 
both  stems  and  branches,  succeeded  by  a  pod-like  fruit 


262  THE   XUT   CULTURIST. 

six  to  ten  or  more  inches  long,  containing  fifty  to  a  -hun- 
dred seeds,  resembling  beans  more  than  they  do  nuts. 
When  the  fruit  is  ripe  it  is  gathered,  at  which  time  the 
seeds  are  covered  with  a  gum-like  substance,  and  to 
remove  this  they  are  subjected  to  a  slight  fermentation, 
after  which  they  are  dried  in  the  sun,  this  giving  them 
their  usual  brown  color.  Chocolate  nut  trees  are  exten- 
sively cultivated  in  Brazil,  New  Grenada,  Trinidad,  and, 
in  fact,  throughout  tropical  America,  and  their  cultiva- 
tion is,  upon  the  whole,  very  profitable,  as  the  demand 
is  almost  unlimited. 

CLEARING  NUT. — This  is  an  East  India  name  for 
the  seeds  of  Strychnos  potatorum,  a  plant  belonging  to 
the  well-known  mix  vomica  family  (Loganiacece).  It  is 
a  small  tree,  native  of  India,  the  wood  of  which  is  used 
for  various  purposes.  The  fruit  is  about  the  size  of  a 
cherry,  and  contains  one  seed ;  this  is  dried,  and  used 
for  clearing  muddy  water,  this  being  effected  by  rubbing 
one  of  the  little  nuts  around  the  sides  of  the  vessel  that 
is  to  be  filled,  after  which  the  water  is  poured  in,  and 
then,  through  some  unknown  agency,  all  the  foreign 
matter  settles,  leaving  the  liquid  perfectly  pure,  clear 
and  wholesome. 

COCOANUT. — One  of  the  most  widely-known  and 
largest  of  edible  nuts ;  the  product  of  Cocos  nucifera,  a 
lofty,  tree-like  palm  (Palmce  or  PalmacecB).  It  is  a 
native  of  tropical  Africa,  India,  Malay,  and  of  nearly  all 
the  islands  of  the  Indian  and  Pacific  oceans.  It  only 
thrives  near  the  seacoast  or  where  the  sea  breezes  reach 
it,  requiring  no  special  care  after  the  nuts  and  young 
plants  once  become  established  in  a  congenial  soil.  The 
coco  palm  grows  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  feet  high, 
with  pinnate  leaves  from  ten  to  twenty  feet  long.  The 
nuts  are  produced  in  clusters  of  a  dozen  or  more,  and 
when  full  grown  are  somewhat  triangular  and  a  foot 
long,  the  outer  coat  or  husk  composed  of  a  tough  fiber. 


MISCELLANEOUS    NUTS.  263 

The  nuts,  when  cleaned  of  their  husks,  are  too  well 
known  to  call  'for  a  further  description  here.  In  coun- 
tries where  these  nuts  are  plentiful,  their  contents 
form  nearly  the  entire  food  of  the  natives,  the  milky 
fluid  serving  for  drink,  and  the  more  solid  parts  as 
a  substitute  for  meat  and  bread.  The  cocoanut  is  prob- 
ably utilized  in  more  ways,  and  for  a  greater  variety  of 
purposes,  than  any  other  kind  known,  and  it  would 
require  a  volume  to  briefly  enumerate  them.  Of  recent 
years  there  have  been  plantations  made  of  this  nut  on 
the  coast  of  southern  Florida,  and  one  of  the  most 
extensive  of  these  is  by  a  man  from  New  Jersey,  but  1 
have  not  heard  from  him  of  late,  or  seen  any  reports 
as  to  the  results  of  his  experiments.  It  is  reported 
that  there  are  about  250,000  cocoanut  trees  now  grow- 
ing in  Florida. 

COCOANUT,  DOUBLE. — This  is  the  fruit  of  another 
lofty  palm,  Lodoicea  Sechellarum,  and  is  usually  consid- 
ered the  largest  member  of  the -order.  It  is  a  native  of 
the  Seychelles  islands,  in  the  Indian  ocean.  It  is  said 
to  reach  a  hight  of  a  hundred  feet,  with  a  stem  two  feet 
in  diameter.  The  fruit  is  a  large,  oblong  nut,  with  a 
rather  thin  rind  or  husk,  and  when  this  is  removed  the 
nut  appears  to  be  double,  or  two  oblong  nuts  firmly 
united,  a  kind  of  twin  formation,  the  entire  nut  weigh- 
ing from  thirty  to  forty  pounds.  These  immense  nuts 
are  produced  in  bunches  of  eight  to  ten,  the  cluster 
sometimes  weighing  from  three  to  four  hundred  pounds. 
It  is  supposed  that  these  nuts  require  about  ten  years  to 
grow  and  mature.  They  are  useless  as  food,  but  the 
shells  are  manufactured  into  various  useful  articles  by 
the  natives,  and  they  are  also  transported  to  other  coun- 
tries and  valued  as  curiosities.  There  is  a  great  demand 
for  the  leaves  of  this  palm  for  making  hats,  baskets,  etc., 
and  as  the  trees  have  to  be  cut  down  to  obtain  them, 
they  are  becoming  rather  scarce. 


264  THE    NUT    CULTURIST. 

COLA  NUT,  KOLA  NUT  OR  GOORA  NUT. — The  fruit 
of  a  small  tree,  native  of  the  warmer  parts  of  western 
Africa,  and  known  to  botanists  as  Cola  acuminata,  and 
of  the  Sterculiad  family  (Sterculiacece).  In  its  native 
country  it  grows  thirty  to  forty  feet  high.  The  leaves 
are  oblong-elliptical,  six  to  eight  inches  long,  and  pointed 
(acuminate),  and  from  this  it  probably  derived  its  spe- 
cific name.  The  flowers  are  yellow,  and  produced  in 
axillary  racemes,  and  succeeded  by  simple  bean-like 
pods,  each  containing  several  nut-like  seeds,  which  the 
natives  call  cola  or  goora  nuts.  These  nuts  have  long 
been  an  article  of  trade  among  the  native  tribes  of  Africa, 
they  being  valued  for  their  supposed  efficacy  in  allaying 
thirst,  promoting  digestion,  giving  strength,  and  pre- 
venting exhaustion  during  the  performance  of  hard  man- 
ual labor.  This  tree  was  early  introduced  into  the  West 
Indies  and  Brazil,  but  its  reputation  in  Africa  does  not 
appear  to  have  been  sustained  it  its  Western  habitat. 

COQUILLA  NUT. — The  fruit  of  the  Piassaba  palm, 
Attalea  funifera,  a  native  of  Brazil,  where  it  grows 
about  thirty  feet  high.  The  fruit  is  produced  in 
bunches,  and  are  each  about  three  inches  long,  covered 
with  a  thin  rind.  The  nut  is  very  hard,  and  is  used  as 
a  substitute  for  bone  and  ivory  in  the  manufacture  of 
articles  for  the  household. 

COQUITO  NUT. — This  is  the  fruit  of  the  wing-leaved 
palm  of  Chile,  Jiibcea  spectabilis.  It  is  a  moderately 
tall  species,  and  closely  resembles,  in  general  habit,  the 
date  palm.  The  nuts  are  edible,  but  they  are  of  sec- 
ondary importance,  this  palm  being  valued  mainly  for 
the  sweet  sap  issuing  from  the  stem  when  cut  down, 
this  continuing  to  exude  from  it  for  weeks  after  it  is 
severed  from  the  roots.  The  sap  is  gathered  and  boiled, 
and  when  reduced  to  the  consistency  of  molasses  becomes 
an  article  of  commerce,  under  the  name  of  Meil  de  Palma 
or  palm  honey. 


MISCELLANEOUS    NUTS.  265 

CREAM  NUT. — A  local  name  of  Brazil  nut. 

DAWA  NUT. — See  Litcbi  nut. 

EARTH  NUT,  OR  EARTH  cHESTNut,  ETC. — A  small, 
low-growing,  herbaceous  plant  of  the  carrot  family 
(  Umbelliferce),  common  in  waste  of  uncultivated  grounds 
in  Great  Britain  and  other  countries  of  northern  Europe. 
Formerly  botanists  supposed  there  were  two  species,  but 
of  late  only  one,  the  Bunium  ~bulbocastanum.  On  the 
roots  there  are  small,  nut-like  tubers,  of  a  sweetish  taste, 
and  they  are  eaten  by  children,  either  in  the  raw  state 
or  after  being  roasted.  These  tubers  have  various  local 
names,  and  in  addition  to  the  above,  they  are  called 
kipper  nuts,  and  pig  nuts  in  England,  but  a  familiar 
local  name  in  Scotland  is  lousy  nuts,  because  it  is  said 
that  eating  them  is  sure  to  breed  lice.  But  this  story 
may  have  been  invented  by  parents  to  deter  their  chil- 
dren from  digging  and  eating  the  roots  of  wild  plants. 
Willdenow,  in  naming  this  species,  certainly  recognized 
its  edible  qualities,  and  that  children  were  fond  of  it, 
else  he  would  not  have  called  it  an  earth  chestnut, — 
bulbo,  bulb,  and  castanum  from  castanea,  the  chestnut. 

ELK  NUT. — See  Oil  nut. 

FISTICKE  NUT. — See  Pistacia  nut. 

Fox  NUT. — The  seeds  of  a  floating,  annual  aquatic 
plant,  the  Euryale  ferox,  native  of  India,  and  belonging 
to  the  water  lily  family  (Nymphceacece).  It  is  a  handsome 
plant,  with  leaves  about  two  feet  in  diameter,  of  a  rich 
purple  on  the  underside,  with  thorn-like  spines  on  the 
veins.  Flowers  deep  violet-red.  The  seeds  of  this  spe- 
cies are  eaten  by  the  natives,  the  same  as  the  aborigines 
of  this  country  gathered  the  seeds  of  our  indigenous 
Nelumbium  luteum,  under  the  name  of  water  chinquapin, 
using  them  for  food  in  the  late  fall  and  winter. 

GINKGO  NUT. — The  large,  round,  white,  somewhat 
flattened,  nut-like  seeds  of  the  now  common  maidenhair 
tree,  or  Ginkgo  biloba,  also  known  as  Salisburia  adianti- 


266  THE    XUT    CULTURIST. 

folia  of  some  nurserymen's  catalogues  and  many  recent 
botanical  works.  The  former,  however,  is  the  older 
and  correct  scientific  name.  This  tree  is  a  native  of 
China  and  Japan,  and  of  a  slender,  sparsely  branched 
habit,  growing  from  fifty  to  eighty  feet  high  in  its  native 
countries.  It  is  a  deciduous,  cone-bearing  (Coniferce) 
tree,  with  two-lobed,  fan-shaped  leaves  two  to  three 
inches  broad,  divided  about  halfway  down  from  the  top. 
The  male  and  female  flowers  are  on  separate  trees,  and 
to  secure  seed  or  nuts  both  sexes  must  be  grown  near 
together.  The  ginkgo  was  introduced  into  European 
gardens  in  1754,  and  there  are  now  many  fruiting  speci- 
mens, especially  in  France,  from  whence  the  nuts  have 
long  been  secured  for  planting,  by  nurserymen  and 
others  interested  in  tree  culture.  There  are  very  few 
bearing  trees  in  this  country,  and  one  in  Washington, 
D.  0.,  has  been  fruiting  for  a  number  of  years.  In 
China  and  Japan  the  seeds  or  nuts  are  valued  for  their 
edible  qualities,  but  they  have  a  kind  of  disagreeable, 
balsamic  taste  in  their  raw  state,  although  this  is  dis- 
pelled by  roasting,  after  which  they  are  quite  sweet  and 
palatable.  As  the  trees  do  not  begin  to  bear  until  of 
considerable  age,  and  the  nuts  are  inferior  to  many  other 
kinds,  I  do  not  think  the  ginkgo  will  ever  become  very 
popular  in  this  country  as  a  nut  tree. 

GOORA  XUT. — See  Cola  nut. 

GORGON  NUT. — See  Fox  nut. 

GROUNDJSTUT. — The  small,  globular  tubers  of  the 
dwarf  three-leaved  ginseng,  Aralia  trifolia,  are  called 
groundnuts  in  some  of  our  Northern  States,  and  they 
are  frequently  sought  for,  dug  up  and  eaten  by  children, 
as  I  know  from  personal  experience.  The  plant  belongs 
to  the  ginseng  family  (Araliacece),  and  is  closely  related 
to  the  true  five-leaved  ginseng  (Aralia  quinquefolia), 
but  our  groundnut  has  only  three  leaves,  instead  of 
five  ;  besides,  it  is  a  somewhat  smaller  plant,  rarely  more 


MISCELLANEOUS   NUTS.  267 

than  six  to  eight  inches  high.  When  the  scattered  seed 
sprout  in  spring,  they  send  down  a  long,  slender,  thread- 
like rootstock,  to  a  depth  of  from  four  to  six  inches,  and 
at  the  bottom  of  this  the  small  tuber  is  produced.  It 
has  a  somewhat  pungent  taste,  but  this  only  whets  the 
appetite  of  a  boy  when  on  a  hunt  for  ground  nuts. 

GROUNDNUT. — The  tubers  of  one  of  the  most  widely 
distributed  climbing  plants  of  the  Eastern  States,  and 
common  in  low,  wet  grounds  almost  everywhere,  from 
Canada  to  Florida,  and  westward  to  the  Mississippi. 
This  plant  is  described  in  most  of  the  botanical  works 
of  the  present  day  under  the  name  of  Apios  tuberosa, 
and  it  belongs  to  the  Pulse  family  (Leguminosce),  and 
is  closely  related  to  the  common  and  well-known  wista- 
rias, although  much  smaller  and  of  a  more  slender  habit. 
It  is  a  smooth,  perennial,  twining  vine,  with  pinnate 
leaves,  and  dense  racemes  or  clusters  of  small  brownish- 
purple  pea-shaped  flowers.  The  subterranean  rootstocks 
bear  long  strings  of  edible  tubers,  from  one  to  two  inches 
long,  and  from  an  inch  to  an  inch  and  a  half  in  diam- 
eter, somewhat  variable  in  shape,  dark  brown  on  the 
outside,  but  white  within.  When  boiled  or  roasted 
these  tubers  have  a  rich,  farinaceous,  nutty  flavor. 
This  tuber  or  groundnut  is  the  one  described  by  Mr. 
Thomas  Herriot,  the  historiographer  of  Sir  Walter 
Kaleigh's  expedition  to  Virginia  in  1585,  under  the  In- 
dian name  of  "Openawk."  He  says:  " These  roots 
are  round,  some  as  large  as  walnuts,  others  much  larger ; 
they  grow  in  damp  soil,  many  hanging  together,  as  fixed 
on  ropes;  they  are  good  food,  either  boiled  or  roasted." 
These  tubers  are  to  be  found  in  the  swamps  and  damp 
soils  of  Virginia  at  this  day,  just  as  they  were  at  the 
time  -of  Herriot's  visit,  but  many  modern  historians  have 
tried  to  make  out  that  Ealeigh's  colonists  found  our 
common  potato  among  the  Indians  at  that  time,  although 
I  have  never  been  able  to  find  a  scrap  of  trustworthy  his- 


268  THE   XL'T   CULTURIST. 

tory  to  support  such  a  claim,  or  that  Raleigh  himself 
ever  planted  or  cultivated  the  American  potato  in  Ire- 
land or  England,  or,  in  fact,  ever  tasted  one  of  these 
tubers. 

GROUN'D^UT. — See  Peanut  or  Goober. 

HAZELXUT,  OR  CHILE  HAZEL. — This  is  merely  a 
local  English  name  for  the  fruit  of  a  small  evergreen 
tree,  native  of  Chile,  S.  A.,  where  it  is  known  as  Guevina, 
and  this  has  been  adopted  as  the  name  of  the  genus, 
adding  the  specific  name  of  the  European  hazel,  so  we 
have  Guevina  Avellana,  although  in  some  botanical 
works  it  may  be  found  under  the  name  of  Qudria  Jietero- 
phylla.  It  belongs  to  the  Protea  family  (Proteaccce). 
It  has  white,  hermaphrodite  flowers,  in  long  axillary 
racemes ;  these  are  succeeded  by  coral-red  fruit  about 
the  size  of  a  large  cherry ;  the  stone  or  nut-like  seeds 
being  edible  are  largely  used  by  the  Chileans.  They  are 
said  to  taste  like  the  hazel,  hence  the  name.  Trees  are 
hardy  in  the  southwest  of  England,  and  would  probably 
succeed  here  in  the  Southern  States.  It  has  been 
planted  and  found  to  thrive  in  California.  Eeadily 
propagated  from  seed  or  green  cuttings  under  glass. 

HORSE-CHESTNUT. — The  fruit  of  a  genus  of  decid- 
uous ornamental  trees  and  shrubs,  native  of  Asia  and 
North  America.  The  common  horse-chestnut,  or  ^Es- 
culus  Hippocastanum,  is  a  native  of  Asia,  and  was  intro- 
duced into  Europe  over  three  hundred  years  ago,  its 
large,  smooth  seeds  and  prickly  husks  probably  suggest- 
ing both  its  common  and  scientific  names,  although 
these  trees  do  not  even  belong  to  the  same  order  as  the 
true  edible  chestnuts  (Gastanea),  but  to  the  soapworts 
(Sapindacece).  It  is  supposed  that  the  prefix,  "horse," 
was  derived  from  a  custom  among  the  Turks,  of  giving 
the  nuts  to  horses  as  a  medicine  when  these  animals 
were  afflicted  with  a  cough  or  inclined  to  become  wind- 
broken.  In  southern  Europe  they  are  sometimes  fed  to 


MISCELLANEOUS   NUTS.  269 

cows  to  increase  the  flow  of  milk,  and  at  one  time  they 
were  employed  for  making  paste  for  book  binders. 
They  are  scarcely  edible,  although  containing  consider- 
able farinaceous  matter,  owing  to  the  presence  of  a  bitter 
narcotic  principle.  Our  native  species,  better  known  as 
Buckeyes,  with  both  smooth  and  prickly  fruit,  are 
equally  worthless  as  food. 

IVORY  NUT. — There  are  two  species  of  palms  pro- 
ducing nuts  hard  enough  to  be  employed  as  a  substitute 
for  ivory,  in  the  manufacture  of  small  articles  of  domes- 
tic use.  But  the  one  best  known  to  commerce  under 
the  name  of  ivory  nut  is  the  fruit  of  Pliytelephas  macro- 
carpa,  native  of  New  Granada  and  other  parts  of  Central 
America.  This  palm  is  a  low-growing  and  almost  de- 
cumbent species,  the  stem  seldom  more  than  six  to  eight 
inches  in  diameter ;  but  the  leaves  are  of  immense  length, 
or  from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet,  growing  in  bundles,  or 
clusters.  The  fruit  consists  of  about  forty  nuts,  en- 
closed in  a  rough,  spiny  husk,  of  a  globular  form,  pro- 
duced on  a  short  footstalk  growing  from  the  axis  of  the 
leaves,  the  whole  bunch  weighing  from  twenty  to  thirty 
pounds.  They  are  two  inches  long,  slightly  triangular, 
and  covered  with  a  thin,  pulpy  coat,  which  becomes 
dry,  papery  and  brittle  when  thoroughly  dried,  but 
when  in  its  green  state  it  is  sometimes  utilized  by  the 
natives  for  making  a  favorite  beverage.  The  ripe  nuts 
are  very  solid,  hard,  and  when  polished  resemble  ivory. 
Immense  quantities  of  these  nuts  are  imported  into  this 
country,  as  well  as  Europe,  and  used  as  a  substitute  for 
bone  and  ivory  for  making  buttons,  toys,  and  similar 
small  articles. 

JESUIT  CHESTNUT. — See  Water  chestnut. 

JICARA  NUT. — A  local  name,  in  some  of  the  Cen- 
tral American  States  for  the  Calabash  (Crescentia  Cujete). 
A  low-growing,  rather  rough  tree,  with  simple  leaves, 
usually  three  growing  together  on  a  broad  leafstalk. 


270  THE    NUT    CULTURIST. 

The  -fruit  is  extremely  variable,  both  in  size  and  form, 
but  mainly  globose,  and  two  to  four  inches  in  diameter. 
The  shell  is  very  hard,  and  largely  used  for  drinking 
cups,  and  these  are  sometimes  highly  ornamented  on 
the  outside.  The  kernel  is  scarcely  edible,  but  is  used 
by  the  natives  as  a  medicine. 

JUBA  NUT.— See  Coquito  nut. 
JUVIA  NUT. — See  Brazil  nut. 
KIPPER  NUT. — See  Earth  chestnut. 
LITCHI  NUT  OR  LEECHEE  NUT. — I  am  inclined  to 
think  that  the  affix  of  "nut"  to  this  Oriental  fmit  is 
an  Americanism,  and  not  used  elsewhere.  There  are 
three  distinct  species  of  this  fruit  known  among  the 
Chinese,  under  the  name  of  Litchi,  Longan  or  Long- 
yen,  and  Rambutan,  all  the  prod- 
uct of  the  Kepheliums,  a  genus 
of  the  soapberry  family  (Sainn- 
dacece).  By  some  of  the  earlier 
botanical  works  the  litchi  is  placed 
either  in  the  genus  Dimocarpvs 
or  Euphoria.  Within  the  past 
FIG.  IDS.  IJTCHI  OB  few  years  this  fruit  has  appeared 
LEECHEE  NUT.  jn  our  markets,  in  consequence 
of  the  increased  trade  with  Oriental  countries,  and  facili- 
ties for  rapid  transit  across  the  continent.  The  litchi  is 
a  globular  fruit,  about  one  inch  in  diameter  (Fig.  103), 
with  a  thin,  chocolate-brown  colored  shell  covered  with 
wart-like  protuberances.  When  fresh  the  shell  is  filled 
with  a  white,  jelly-like  pulp,  in  the  center  of  which, 
there  is  one  rather  large,  smooth  brown  seed.  The  pulp 
is  of  a  most  delicious  sub-acid  flavor,  but  it  is  often 
rather  dry  and  stale  in  the  nuts  which  reach  us  from 
China  and  Japan.  The  tree  producing  this  fruit  is  sel- 
dom more  than  twenty-five  feet  high,  with  rather  sturdy 
twigs  and  branches,  the  leaves  composed  of  about  seven 
oblong  pointed  leaflets.  This  is  said  to  be  one  of  the 


MISCELLANEOUS    NUTS.  271 

most  popular  of  Oriental  fruits,  and  the  trees  would 
probably  succeed  in  many  of  the  Southern  States  and  in 
California.  It  is  now  on  trial  in  Florida,  having  been 
introduced  there  in  1886.  It  has  , been  fruited  in  Eng- 
land many  times,  but  always  under  glass,  where  the 
plants  receive  protection  and  artificial  heat.  A  full 
description  of  this  species,  accompanied  by  a  superb  col- 
ored plate  of  the  Nephelium  or  Dimocarpus  Longana,  ap- 
peared in  the  "Transactions  of  the  London  Horticultural 
Society,"  1818,  p.  402.  There  are  not  only  a  large  num- 
ber of  species  of  the  Nepheliums  bearing  edible  fruit, 
but,  as  might  be  expected  from  their  long  and  extensive 
cultivation,  many  local  varieties,  especially  in  the  south- 
ern provinces  of  China  and  throughout  the  islands  of 
tropical  Asia.  The  Dawa  of  the  Fiji  islands  is  the  fruit 
of  N.  pinnatum,  a  tree  growing  sixty  feet  high,  and 
forming  extensive  forests  on  those  islands.  At  some 
future  time  we  may  be  receiving  the  dawas  under  the 
name  of  Fiji  nuts. 

LOUSY  NUT. — See  Earth  chestnut. 

MARKING  NUT. — The  seeds  of  Semecarpus  Anacar- 
dium,  an  evergreen  tree  of  the  cashew-nut  family  (Ana- 
cardiacece) ,  native  of  tropical  Asia,  and  especially  Cey- 
lon. It  has  large,  oblong  leaves,  and  grows  about  fifty 
feet  high,  and  the  fruit  is  produced  on  a  fleshy  recepta- 
cle. The  natives  roast  and  eat  these  nuts,  and  the  black 
juice  obtained  from  the  green  fruit  is  used  for  marking 
cloth,  hence  the  common  name.  The  juice  is  also  mixed 
with  lime  to  make  an  excellent  indelible  ink,  also  for  a 
kind  of  varnish. 

MIEITI  NUT  OR  IT  A  PALM  NUT. — These  are  the 
Indian  names  of  the  fruit  of  a  lofty  palm  tree,  the  Mau- 
ritia  flexuosa,  of  the  swamps  along  the  Orinoco  river, 
also  in  wet  soils  at  higher  elevations.  This  giant  palm 
grows  to  a  hight  of  a  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  with  an 
immense  crown  of  large,  fan-shaped  leaves,  and  just 


THE    XUT    CULTUKIST. 


'beneath  these  the  fruit  appears  in  a  pendulous  cluster 
eight  to  ten  feet  long,  containing  several  bushels,  weigh- 
ing, altogether,  from  one  to  three  hundred  pounds. 
The  individual  nuts  are  about  the  size  of  an  ordinary 
apple,  with  a  very  smooth  shell,  somewhat  veined  or 
streaked.  The  natives  of  the  country  not  only  use  the 
farinaceous  kernels  of  these  nuts  as  food,  but  obtain  a 
saccharine  material  from  the  pith,  out  of  which  they 
make  wine  by  fermentation.  The  petioles  of  the  leaves 
also  furnish  them  with  a  strong  fiber,  used  as  thread- 
cord,  and  for  various  other  purposes. 

MORETON  BAY  CHESTNUT.  —  See  Australian  chestnut. 

MONKEY-POT  NUT.  —  See  Sapucaia  nut. 

MYROBALAN  XUT.  —  This  name  is  applied  rather 
indiscriminately  to  the  fruits  of  several  species  of  the 
genus  Terminalia,  which  are,  in  the  main,  large  trees  of 
the  Myrobalan  family  (Combretacece).  They  are  native 
of  India,  Malay,  Fiji,  and,  in  fact,  almost  all  the  islands 
of  the  Pacific  in  warm  latitudes.  The  fruits  are  similar 
to  large  plums,  but  slightly  angular,  containing  a  hard, 
nut-like  seed.  They  are  used  principally  for  tanning 
leather,  and  also  for  making  ink  similar  to  that  made 
from  oak  galls.  The  kernels  of  all  the  species  are  edi- 
ble, and  are  eaten  by  the  natives.  In  the  Fiji  islands 
the  Terminalia  Catappa  is  a  favorite  tree  with  the  natives, 
and  they  plant  it  near  the  houses.  The  kernels  of  this 
species  have  the  flavor  of  the  sweet  almond. 

NICKAR  NUT.  —  The  seeds  of  two  species  of  Guilan- 
dina,  a  genus  of  the  bean  family  (Leguminosce).  They 
are  climbing  plants,  with  hard-wooded,  prickly  stems, 
forming  almost  impenetrable  thickets  near  the  seacoast 
in  the  East  Indies  and  other  tropical  countries.  They 
have  become  widely  distributed,  as  the  pods  readily  float 
when  they  drop  into  the  water.  The  pods  are  about 
three  inches  long,  very  prickly,  containing  seeds  or  nuts 
about  the  size  of  small  marbles,  and  exceedingly  hard  ; 


MISCELLANEOUS   NUTS.  273 

but  in  time  the  water  softens  them,  after  which  they 
sprout  and  grow  when  cast  upon  the  shore  by  the  waves. 
The  two  species  are  distinguished  mainly  by  the  color  of 
the  nuts,  those  of  G.  Bonduc  being  yellow,  and  those  of 
G.  Bonducella  gray,  or  with  a  reddish  tint.  Of  no  value 
or  use  except  as  botanical  curiosities. 

NITTA  OR  NUTTA  NUT. — The  native  African  name 
of  the  seeds  of  Parkia  Africana,  a  tree  of  the  sensitive- 
tree  section  of  the  bean  family  (Leguminosce).  It  grows 
about  forty  feet  high,  and  has  compound  winged  leaves. 
It  has  become  naturalized  in  the  West  Indies.  The 
pods  grow  in  clusters,  the  seeds  imbedded  in  a  yellowish, 
sweet  pulp,  like  the  carob  or  St.  John's  bread,  and  the 
negroes  are  very  fond  of  them.  In  the  Soudan  the  seeds 
are  roasted,  and  then  allowed  to  ferment  in  water  until 
they  are  soft  and  putrid,  after  which  they  are  washed, 
pounded  and  dried,  then  made  up  into  cakes  to  be  used 
as  a  sauce  for  different  kinds  of  food.  It  is  supposed 
that  the  African  traveler,  Mungo  Park,  first  brought 
these  seeds  or  nuts  to  the  notice  of  Europeans,  and 
Robert  Brown  named  the  genus  Parkia  in  his  honor. 

NUTMEG. — A  name  applied  to  the  fruits  of  a  large 
number  of  trees,  and  of  different  orders  of  plants.  The 
true  nutmegs  of  commerce  are  the  fruits  of  trees  belong- 
ing to  the  genus  Myristica,  and  of  the  family  Myristi- 
cacece.  The  oldest  and  best  known  of  these  is  the  M. 
fragrans,  a  small,  widely  branching  tree,  growing 
twenty  to  twenty-five  feet  high,  and  supposed  to  be 
indigenous  to  the  Indian  Archipelago.  The  fruit  is 
about  the  size  of  an  ordinary  walnut,  with  a  thick  rind, 
which,  upon  opening,  at  maturity,  discloses  a  reddish 
aril  covering  the  nut  within.  This  aril  or  husk  is  the 
mace  of  commerce,  while  the  true  nutmeg  is  the  center 
or  hard  seed  (nut).  The  Brazil  nutmeg  is  longer  than 
the  true  species,  and  is  sold  under  the  name  of  long  nut- 
meg, and  is  the  fruit  of  M.  fatua.  Another  species,  the 
18 


274  THE   XUT   CULTURIST. 

M.  otoba,  is  cultivated  in  Madagascar,  but  is  scarcely 
known  in  commerce. 

Another  species,  the  M.  sebifera,  is  a  common  tree 
in  the  forests  of  Guiana,  North  Brazil,  and  up  into 
Panama.  It  is  utilized  principally  for  the  oil  extracted 
from  the  nuts,  obtained  by  macerating  them  in  water, 
the  oil  rising  to  the  surface,  and  as  it  cools  skimmed  off. 

The  seeds  of  several  species  of  conifers  and  laurels 
are  known,  either  locally  or  in  commence,  as  nutmegs, 
or  are  used  as  a  substitute  for  the  true  nutmeg.  There 
are  three  different  kinds  of  trees,  native  of  Guiana,  in 
addition  to  the  one  already  named,  the  seeds  of  which 
are  employed  as  a  spice  or  medicine.  One  of  these  is 
the  Acrodiclidium  camara.  These  nuts  are  known  in 
commerce  as  "Ackawai  nutmegs,"  and  are  used  mainly 
as  a  cure  for  diarrhoea  and  colic.  Another  is  the  seed 
of  the  Aydendron  Cujumary  tree,  and  they  are  known 
in  commerce  as  "Cujumary  beans/'7  although  they  are 
not,  strictly  speaking,  a  bean,  and  the  same  is  true  of 
the  so-called  "Puchurim  beans,"  from  the  same  country, 
for  they  are  the  fruit  of  Nectandy  Puchury,  a  small  tree 
of  the  laurel  family.  They  are  used  as  a  tonic,  and  con- 
sidered highly  stimulating. 

Clove  Nutmeg,  or  Madagascar  nutmeg  of  com- 
merce, is  the  fruit  of  Agatliopliyllum  aromaticum,  a 
small  evergreen  tree,  indigenous  to  Madagascar. 

Brazilian  Nutmegs  are  the  highly  aromatic  seeds 
of  Cryptocarya  moschata,  or  Atherosperma  moschata  of 
some  botanists.  It  is  a  lofty  tree,  native  of  Brazil.  The 
aromatic  nuts  are  used  as  a  substitute  for  nutmegs,  but 
are  very  inferior  to  the  genuine. 

Peruvian  Nutmeg,  or  Plum  Nutmeg. — The  seeds 
of  a  large  evergreen  tree  with  aromatic  foliage,  like  our 
common  sassafras,  and  for  this  reason  is  sometimes 
called  Chilean  or  Peruvian  sassafras.  The  seeds  are  of 
no  more  economic  value  than  those  of  our  native  sassa- 


MISCELLANEOUS   NUTS.  275 

fras.  It  is  known  under  various  botanical  names,  but 
Laurelia  sempervirens  is,  perhaps,  the  most  familiar. 

California  Nutmeg,  or  Stinking  Nutmeg,  is  the 
nut-like  seed  of  Torreya  Californica,  a  small  tree  of 
the  yew  family  (Taxacece).  The  fruit  is  from  an  inch 
to  an  inch  and  a  half  long,  with  a  fleshy  rind  enclosing 
a  hard,  long  nut,  which  is  slightly  grooved  like  a  nut- 
meg. The  fruit,  leaves  and  wood  are  strongly  scented, 
hence  the  name  of  "stinking  nutmeg,"  or  "stinking 
yew."  Another  species,  the  T.  taxifolia,  is  a  native  of 
Florida. 

OIL  NUT. — The  fruit  of  a  low-branching,  deciduous 
native  shrub,  growing  three  to  ten  feet  high,  with  alter- 
nate leaves  and  small  greenish  flowers  in  terminal  spikes. 
It  is  the  Pyrularia  oleifera  of  Gray,  and  Hamiltonia 
oleifera  of  Muhlenberg.  The  fruit  is  in  the  form  of  a 
pear-shaped  drupe,  about  an  inch  long,  the  small  seed 
or  nut  with  an  oily  kernel  of  strong  acrid  taste  ;  of  no 
value.  This  shrub  is  found  on  shady  banks  in  the 
mountains  of  Pennsylvania,  and  southward  into  Georgia. 

PARADISE  NUT. — See  Sapucaia  nut. 

PEANUT,  GROUNDNUT,  GOOBER. — The  well-known 
fruit  of  Arar.his  hypogma,  a  low-growing  annual  belong- 
ing to  the  pulse  or  pea  family  (Leguminosw),  supposed 
to  be  a  native  of  South  America,  but  now  extensively 
cultivated  in  nearly  all  semi-tropical  countries  and 
wherever  the  summers  are  long  enough  to  insure  the 
ripening  of  the  seeds.  Extensively  cultivated  in  Vir- 
ginia, south  and  westward.  Too  well  known  to  require 
any  further  comment  or  notice  here. 

PECAN  NUT. — See  Chap.  VII. 

PEKEA  NUT. —See  Souari  nut. 

PERUVIAN  NUT. — See  Nutmegs. 

PHYSIC  NUT. — The  seeds  of  Jatroplia  Curcas,  a 
small  tree  of  the  spurge  wort  family  (EuphorUacece) .  It 
is  native  of  some  of  the  West  Indies  and  warmer  parts 


276  THE   NUT   CULTUKIST. 

of  South  America,  but  now  cultivated  in  other  tropical 
countries  for  its  seeds,  which  yield  an  oil  used  for  the 
same  purposes  as  castor  oil,  but  rather  more  powerful 
and  drastic.  The  seeds  have  a  nutty  flavor,  but  are 
rather  dangerous  if  eaten  in  any  considerable  quantities, 
and  death  has  been  known  to  follow  excess  in  this 
direction. 

PHYSIC  NUT. — In  "Bartram's  Travels,"  he  refers 
to  a  seed  or  nut  of  a  plant  he  found  growing  in  Florida 
under  this  name,  p.  41,  as  follows:  "  .  .  .  some 
very  curious  new  shrubs  and  plants,  particularly  the 
physic  nut  or  Indian  olive.  The  stems  arise,  many  from 
a  root,  two  or  three  feet  high ;  the  leaves  sit  opposite, 
on  very  short  petioles  ;  they  are  broad,  lanceolate,  entire 
and  undulated,  having  a  smooth  surface,  of  a  deep  green 
color.  From  the  bosom  of  each  leaf  is  produced  a  sin- 
gle oval  drupe,  standing  erect  on  long  slender  stems ;  it 
has  a  large  kernel  and  thin  pulp.  The  fruit  is  yellow 
when  ripe,  and  about  the  size  of  an  olive.  The  Indians, 
when  they  go  in  pursuit  of  deer,  carry  this  fruit  with 
them,  supposing  that  it  has  the  power  of  charming  or 
drawing  that  creature  to  them,  from  whence,  with 
traders,  it  has  obtained  the  name  of  physic  nut,  which 
means,  with  them,  charming,  conjuring  or  fascinating." 

To  what  kind  of  fruit  Bartram  referred  under  the 
name  of  "physic  nut,"  is  not  certain,  but  his  descrip- 
tion of  the  plant  comes  very  near  that  of  the  American 
olive  (Olea  Americana),  but  the  fruit  of  this  and  other 
closely  allied  plants  of  the  same  family  are  not  "yellow" 
when  ripe,  but  purple. 

PIGNUT,  OR  HOGNUT. — See  chapter  on  Hickory. 

PINE  NUT. — A  name  applied  indiscriminately  to 
the  many  species  of  pine  trees  (Pinus)  bearing  seeds 
large  enough  to  be  conveniently  used  as  food.  In  south- 
ern Europe,  and  especially  in  Italy  and  the  south  of 
France,  the  seeds  of  the  stone  pine  (Pinus  Pinea)  have 


MISCELLANEOUS   NUTS. 


277 


been  extensively  used  as  food,  from  the  earliest  times 
down  to  the  present  day.  Nearly  all  the  ancient  authors 
refer  to  them  as  among  the  valuable  products  of  the 
countrj.  Macrobius,  in  his  story  of  the  Saturnalia, 
speaks  of  the  cones  as  Nuces  vel  Poma  Pinea.  These 
pine  nuts  are  called  Pinocchi  in  Italy  and  Sicily,  and 
occasional! v  a  few  reach  this  country,  where  the  Italian 
name  has  been  corrupted  into  Pinolas.  These  seeds  or 
nuts  are  used  for  desserts^  puddings  and  cakes,  also 
eaten  raw  at  table, 
as  with  almonds. 
They  have  a  slight 
taste  of  turpentine, 
but  it  is  not  strong 
enough  to  be  at  all 
disagreeable. 

In  this  country 
we  have  several  na- 
tive species  bearing 
very  large  edible 
seeds,  and  they  are 
known  in  the  West 
under  the  general 
name  of  Pinon,  or 
nut  pines.  The 
best  of  these  nuts, 
to  my  taste,  are  the 
seeds  of  Pinus 
edulis,  so  named  FIG'  m  BRANCH  OF  NUT  PINE' 

by  the  late  Dr.  Engelmann,  because  of  its  large,  sweet 
and  edible  seeds.  It  is  a  small,  low-growing  tree,  more 
or  less  common  on  dry  hills  and  slopes,  from  Colorado 
southward  through  New  Mexico,  and  into  western 
Texas.  The  seeds  of  Pinus  Parryana  and  Pinus  cem- 
broides,  of  Arizona  and  Lower  California,  are  also  called 
Piflons,  and  largely  gathered  by  the  Indians.  Farthei* 


8  THE    XUT   CULTUKIST. 

east  and  north  we  find  the  one-leaved  pine  (Pinus  mono- 
phylla),  and  although  the  seeds  are  much  smaller  than 
those  of  P.  edulis,  they  were  formerly  gathered  in  im- 
mense quantities  by  the  Indians,  to  help  eke  out  their 
often  scanty  winter  store  of  food.  Occasionally  a  small 
quantity  of  these  pine  nuts  is  sent  to  Eastern  markets, 
but  rarely,  unless  ordered  early  in  the  season.  The  trees 
of  P.  edulis  and  P.  monopliylla  are  perfectly  hardy  here, 
and  worth  cultivating  for  ornament,  as  well  as  their 
nuts,  although  their  slow  growth  is  a  rather  severe  test 
of  one's  patience.  Fig.  104  shows  a  Pifton  branch. 

PISTACHIO  NUT. — Historically,  this  is  a  very  ancient 
nut,  for  Bible  commentators  claim  that  it  is  the  one  sent 
by  Jacob  into  Egypt.  It  is  the  fruit  of  a  small,  decid- 
uous tree  of  the  cashew  family  (Anacardiacece),  a  native 
of  western  Asia,  but  many  centuries  ago  it  had  become 
naturalized  in  Palestine  and  throughout  the  Mediterra- 
nean regions.  It  has  shining  evergreen  winged  leaves, 
and  the  bark  on  the  young  twigs  is  brown,  becoming 
russet-colored  with  age.  There  are  several  different 
species,  but  the  one  producing  the  nuts  of  commerce  is 
the  Pistacia  vera,  having  brownish-green  flowers  in 
loose  panicles,  and  these  are  succeeded  by  bunches  of 
reddish  fruit,  about  an  inch  long,  with  an  oblique  or 
bent  point.  The  nuts  have  a  double  shell,  the  outer 
one  usually  red,  the  inner  one  smooth  and  brittle ;  the 
kernel  is  pale  green,  sweet,  and  of  rather  pleasant  taste. 
There  are  a  number  of  varieties,  differing  only  slightly 
in  form  and  size.  This  nut  has  been  cultivated  spar- 
ingly in  Great  Britain  since  1570,  but  the  climate  is  not 
quite  warm  enough  to  insure  its  ripening  in  the  open 
air.  It  would  probably  succeed  throughout  the  greater 
part  of  California,  as  well  as  in  the  extreme  Southern 
States,  but  Mr.  Berckmaiis  writes  me  that  it  is  not 
hardy  in  his  grounds  at  Augusta,  Ga.  There  is  a  species 
of  pistacia  known  as  P.  Mexicana,  found  in  central 


MISCELLANEOUS   NUTS. 


279 


Mexico,  and  extending  as  far  north  as  San  Diego,  in 
California,  according  to  the  report  of  Dr.  Cooper  (Bot- 
any of  California,  Vol.  I,  p.  109). 

QUANDANG  NUT. — A  medium  size  Australian  tree, 
the  Santalum  acuminatum,  of  the  sandalwood  family 
(Santalacece).  It  produces  a  plum-like  fruit,  which  is 
best  known  in  its  native  country  as  the  quandang  nut. 
It  is  used  as  a  preserve,  but  is  little  known,  except  in 
or  near  its  native  habitats. 

QUEENSLAND  NUT. — See  Australian  hazelnut. 

SAPUCAIA  NUT. — The  Brazilian  name  of,  at  least, 
two  species  of  large  forest  trees  growing  in  the  valley  of 
the  Amazon  and  its  tributaries. 
The  best  known  of  these  is  the 
LecytJiis  Zabucajo,  a  lofty  tree  of 
the  myrtle  family  (Myrtacece).  It 
is  closely  allied  to  the  more  com- 
mon Brazil  nut  of  commerce.  The 
sapucaia  nuts  are  produced  in  an 
urn-shaped,  woody  capsule,  which 
has  received  the  name  of  Monkey- 
pot,  because  when  these  capsules 
ripen  the  lid  at  the  top  is  suddenly 
liberated,  emitting  a  sharp  sound, 
which,  as  heard  by  the  monkeys, 
gives  them  notice  that  the  nuts  are 
falling,  and  that  the  first  on  the 
ground  becomes  the  fortunate  pos- 
sessor of  the  largest  number.  The  FIG.  105. 
capsules  or  pots  are  about  six 
inches  in  diameter,  and  the  lid  opening  at  the  top  about 
two  inches.  The  nuts,  which  are  packed  very  closely  in 
the  shell,  are  about  one  inch  in  diameter,  and  two  to 
three  in  length,  with  a  thin,  brown,  and  very  much 
wrinkled  and  twisted  shell  (Fig.  105).  The  kernel  is 
white,  sweet,  oily,  and  somewhat  more  delicate  in  flavor 


PARADISE    OR 
SAPUCAIA  2SUT. 


280  THE   NUT   CULTUKIST. 

than  that  of  the  common  Brazil  nut.  In  New  York 
city  these  nuts  are  sold  under  the  name  of  Paradise 
nuts.  But  this  is  probably  only  a  local  name,  for  I 
have  been  unable  to  find  it  in  any  botanical  work. 
These  nuts  rarely  come  to  this  country  in  any  consid- 
erable quantities  ;  a  few  hundred  pounds  at  a  time  would 
be  considered  a  large  consignment. 

SASSAFRAS  NUT. — See  Nutmeg,  Chilean. 

SASSAFRAS  NUT. — See  Nutmeg,  Puchury. 

SNAKE  NUT. — A  large,  roundish  fruit,  about  the 
size  of  the  black  walnut,  the  product  of  the  Opliiocarycn 
paradoxum,  a  large  tree  of  the  soapberry  family  (Sapin- 
dacece),  native  of  British  Guiana.  This  nut  takes  its 
name  of  "  Snake  nut,"  from  the  peculiar  form  of  the 
•embryo  of  the  seed,  which  is  curled  up  spirally.  The 
Indians,  thinking  there  must  be  some  virtue  in  form, 
use  these  nuts  as  an  antidote  for  snake  bites,  although, 
so  far  as  known  to  science,  they  do  not  possess  any 
medicinal  properties. 

SOUARI  NUT,  OR  BUTTERNUT. — This  nut,  like  the 
last,  is  a  native  of  British  Guiana,  and  is  the  fruit  of  the 
Caryocar  nuciferum,  a  noble  tree,  growing  a  hundred 
feet  high,  having  large,  broad,  trifoliate  leaves,  resem- 
bling those  of  our  common  horse-chestnut,  but  not 
quite  as  broad.  The  flowers  are  very  large,  and,  with 
the  tube,  fully  a  foot  long,  of  a  deep  purple  on  the  out- 
side, and  yellow  within.  They  are  composed  of  five 
thick,  fleshy  pjtals,  and  as  showy  as  some  of  our  best 
and  brightest-colored  magnolias.  The  flowers  are  pro- 
duced in  terminal  clusters  or  corymbs,  succeeded  by  a 
large,  round,  four-celled  fleshy  fruit  five  to  six  inches  in 
diameter ;  but  as  some  of  the  embryo  nuts  usually  fail 
to  grow,  it  changes  the  form  of  the  fruit  as  it  enlarges 
towards  maturity,  and  only  one  or  two  of  the  nuts  ma- 
ture and  ripen,  very  much  as  frequently  occurs  in  both 
the  sweet  and  lioive-ohestnuts.  The  nuts  are  affixed  to 


MISCELLANEOUS   NUTS.  2S1 

a  central  axis,  and  are  of  a  rounded,  subreniform  shape, 
and  even  flattened  to  an  almost  sharp  edge  on  one  side, 
and  broadly  truncate  at  the  scar  (hilum)  where  they  are 
attached  to  the  pericarp  or  central  axis.  The  shell  is  of 
a  deep  brown  color,  embossed,  as  it  were,  with  smooth 
tubercles.  They  are  from  two  to  two  and  a  half  inches 
or  more  in  their  broadest  diameter,  as  shown  in  Fig.  106. 
The  kernel  or  meat  is  pure  white,  soft,  rich  and  oily, 


FIG.  106.     SOUARI  NUT. 

with  a  pleasant  flavor.  This  nut  is  a  rarity  in  our  mar- 
kets, and  Mr.  H.  E.  Davy  of  New  York,  to  whom  I  am 
indebted  for  a  specimen,  as  well  as  other  rare  kinds, 
assures  me  that  in  his  forty-five  years'  experience  as  a 
dealer  in  foreign  fruits  and  nuts,  he  has  never  known  of 
but  one  lot,  and  that  one  consisted  of  about  one-half 
bushel,  brought  into  his  store  by  a  sailor,  who  only  knew 


2S2  THE   NUT   CULTUR1ST. 

their  common  South  American  name.  These  nuts  are 
more  frequently  seen  in  European  seaports  than  in  those 
of  this  country. 

SOUTH  SEA  CHESTNUT. — See  Tahitian  chestnut. 

TAHITI  AN  CHESTNUT. — The  seeds  of  a  tree  known 
in  the  South  Sea  islands  by  the  native  name  of  Toi,  but 
to  botanists  as  Inocarpus  edulis.  It  belongs  to  the  bean 
family  (Leguminosce).  The  tree  grows  sixty  to  eighty 
feet  high,  and  when  young  the  stems  are  fluted  like  a 
Grecian  column,  but  as  they  increase  with  age  the  pro- 
jections extend  outward,  until  they  form  a  kind  of  but- 
tress all  around  the  lower  part,  gradually  decreasing 
upward.  This  so-called  chestnut  tree  has  yellow  flowers, 
succeeded  by  fibrous  pods  containing  one  large  seed  or 
nut,  which,  when  roasted  or  boiled,  resembles  the  chest- 
nut in  taste.  The  nuts  have  a  different  local  name  in 
almost  every  one  of  the  Pacific  islands  where  it  is  at  all 
abundant. 

TAVOLA  NUT. — See  Myrobalan  nut. 

TALLOW  NUT. — A  local  and  nearly  obsolete  name 
for  the  fruit  of  the  Ogeechee  lime  or  sour  gum  tree 
(Nyssa  capitata)  of  the  swamps  of  Florida,  Georgia  and 
westward.  The  fruit  is  about  an  inch  long,  resembling 
a  small  plum,  the  pulp  having  an  agreeable  acid  taste. 
Bartram,  p.  94,  refers  to  this  fruit  under  the  name  of 
"  Tallow  nut,"  but  why  so  called  is  not  explained. 

TALLOW  NUT. — The  fruit  of  the  Chinese  Tallow 
tree,  Stillingia  sebifera,  of  the  spurgewort  family 
(EuphorUacew),  a  native  of  China,  where  it  is,  as  well 
as  in  some  of  the  warmer  parts  of  America,  extensively 
cultivated.  It  has  been  planted  in  a  few  localities  in 
the  Southern  States,  and  appears  to  thrive.  It  is  a 
small  tree  thirty  to  forty  feet  high,  with  rhomboid 
tapering  leaves  and  a  three-celled  capsuled  fruit,  each 
cell  containing  only  a  single  seed  thickly  coated  with  a 
yellow,  tallow-like  substance,  hence  its  common  name. 


MISCELLANEOUS   NUTS.  283 

This  tallow  or  grease  is  used  for  making  soap,  burning 
in  lamps,  and  also  for  dressing  cloth. 

TEMPERANCE  NUT. — An  English  name  of  cola  nut. 

TORREY  NUT. — The  hard,  nut-like  seeds  of  Torreya 
nucifera,  of  Siebold,  or  Taxus  nucifera,  of  Ksempfer, 
and  Caryotaxus  nucifera,  of  Zuccarini,  a  tree  native  of 
Japan,  where  these  nuts  are  eaten  by  the  Japanese, 
either  raw  or  roasted.  An  oil  is  also  extracted  from  the 
nuts,  for  use  in  cooking  or  for  burning  in  lamps.  This 
Japanese  tree  belongs  to  the  same  genus  as  the  so-called 
California  nutmeg  (see  Nutmeg)  and  our  Florida  stink- 
ing cedar  (T.  taxi/olid],  also  the  great  Chinese  cedar 
(T.  grandis). 

WATER  CHESTNUT. — Also  known  as  water  caltrops. 
The  seeds  of  several  species  of  water  plants  of  the  genus 
Trapa,  of  the 
evening  prim- 
rose family 
(Onagracece). 
In  southern 
Europe  and 
eastward  there 
is  a  species 
found  in  ponds, 

the  seeds  of  which  are  called  Jesuit  chestnuts  (T.  na- 
tans),  and  in  India  and  Ceylon  a  closely  allied  one, 
the  Singhara-nut  plant  (T.  Uspinosa),  while  in  Lago 
Maggiore  there  is  another  ( T.  verlanensis),  but  all  may 
be  varieties  of  one  and  the  same  species,  including  the 
Trapa  bicornis,  a  two-horned  water  chestnut,  exten- 
sively used  in  China  and  Japan  as  food  under  various 
local  names.  In  China  they  are  called  Ling,  and  of 
late  years  have  been  occasionally  imported  and  sold, 
more  as  curiosities  than  for  eating.  These  seeds  or  nuts 
are  of  a  dark  brown  color,  and  of  the  form  and  size 
shown  in  Fig.  107,  resembling,  iu  miniature,  the  skull  of 


284  THE   NUT   CULTURIST. 

an  ox  with  abbreviated  horns.     When  fresh,  the  kernel 
is  of  an  agreeable  nutty  flavor. 

WATER  CHESTNUT,  OR  CHI^QTIAPTI*. — The  seeds  of 
the  large  yellow  water  lily  (Nelumbium  luteum),  a  very 
common  plant  in  small  ponds  in  the  West  and  South, 
but  more  rare  in  the  East.  The  seeds  are  about  the  size 
and  shape  of  small  acorns,  and  produced  in  a  large,  top- 
shaped,  fleshy  receptacle.  They  are  edible,  and  are  sup- 
posed to  have  been  extensively  used  as  food  by  the  abo- 
rigines of  this  country. 


INDEX. 


Page 

Ackawai  nutmeg 274 

Acorn 254 

Acrodiclidium  cauiarii 274 

^Esculus  hippocaslanum 268 

Agatliopliyllum  aromaiicum.. .  274 

Aleurites  triloba 259 

Almond 12 

bitter 34 

budding,  bud  in  position. ..     28 

incision  tor  bud 27 

budding  knife 24 

budding  kiiife,Yankee  24 
prepared  shoot, of  buds  26 
season  for  budding  ...  22 

culture  in  California 17 

history  of  the 13 

insects  and  diseases 39 

Cercospora  circumscissa    43 
Goes  pulverulenta  .'.  —     52 

Scolytus  rugulosus 42 

Taphrina  deformans —     43 

orchard  in  California 18 

planting  and  pruning 32 

propagation  of  the 19 

properties  and  uses  of 39 

pruning 33 

raising  seedlings  for  stocks    20 
soil  and  exposure  for  the. . .     30 

varieties 34 

hard-shelled 35,  36 

large-fruited 37 

ornamental  varieties...    38 

peach 37 

soft  or  brittle-shelled...     36 

sweet  40 

thin-shelled 37 

Amygdalus  argentea 39 

Cochin  chin  en  sis 38 

commuiiis  amara 34 

dulcis 35 

fragilis 36 

rnacrocarpa 37 

persicoides 37 

incana 39 

nana 39 

orientalis 39 

Anacardium  occidentale 260 

Apios  tuberosa 267 

Arachis  hypogaea 275 

Aralia  trifolia 266 

Areca  catechu 256 


Page 

Atherosperma  moschata 274 

Attalea  fun  if  era 264 

Australian  chestnut 255 

Australian  hazelnut 256 

Aydendron  c-ujuinary 274 

Beech ,  American 4g 

Chile 48 

European 43 

evergreen  43 

history  of 44 

injurious  insects 52 

properties  and  uses 52 

propagation  of 47 

soil  and  location  for  the..  ..     47 

species  and  varieties 48 

Beechnut 44 

leaf,  bur  and  nut 51 

Ben  nut 256 

Bertholletia  excelsa 267 

Betel  nut 256 

Bladder  nut 257 

Brazil  nut 257 

Brazilian  nutmegs 273,  274 

Bread  nut 258 

Brosimum  alicastrum 258 

Buffalo  nut 259 

Bunium  buibocastanum 265 

Butternut 259,  280 

Byzantium  nul 259 

California  chestnut 55 

California  nutmeg 275 

Calodendroii  Capense 259 

Candle  nut 259 

Cape  chestnut 259 

Caryocar  nuciferum 280 

Caryotaxus  nucifera 283 

Cashew  nut 260 

Castanea      chrysophylla     var. 

minor 57 

Castanea      chrysophylla     var. 

pumila 57 

Castanea  sempervirens 56 

Castanopsis 55 

bur 57 

chrysophylla 55 

leaves  and  nuts 56 

Castanospermum  Australe 255 

Caucasian  walnut 261 

Chestnut 60 

budding 80 

diseases  of  the 116 


285 


286 


THE   XUT   CULTURIST. 


Page 
Chestnut,     distance     between 

trees 82 

European  varieties  of 99 

Comfort HO 

Cooper 1JO 

Corson 100 

Dager 101 

Moncnr 101 

Nnmbo 102 

spines  of 102 

Miller's  Dupont 102 

Paragon 102 

bur 103 

nut 104 

spines  of 103 

tree,  four  years  old.  105 

Ridge)  y 104 

bur 100 

Scott 107 

Styer 108 

flowers til 

French  variety  of  the 108 

gathering  and  assorting 05 

grafting 71 

cleft 77 

growth  of  c'ion 78 

large  trees 70 

materials 72 

modes  o!' 75 

season  for •. 71 

splice    75 

sprouts 79 

success  in 78 

wax 72 

history  of  the 62 

insects  injurious  to 113 

Balanimis  carytripes. ..  113 

weevil *. 114 

Japan 109 

Advance 110 

Alpha Ill 

Beta Ill 

Early  Reliance Ill 

Felton Ill 

Giant 110,  111 

Killen ••••  112 

Parsons 112 

Parry's  Superb 112 

Success 112 

mulching 82 

native  varieties  of  the 94 

burless 94 

bush  chinquapin 9G 

common  chinquapin 97 

Fuller's  chinquapin 97 

chinquapin  burs 97 

chinquapin  tree 98 

Hathaway 95 

Phillips 95 

planting 68 

in  nursery  rows! 69 

propagation  of  I  he 64 

seedbed  and  soil  for 67 

soil  and  climate  for 83 

species  of 86 

American 88 


Page 

Chestnut,    species    bush    chin- 
quapin    89 

Castanea  .Americana —  88 

Japonica  93 

nana 89 

pumila 90,  91 

saliva itl 

vesca <ji 

European «n 

Japan 93 

leaf 92 

staking  transplanted  trees.    81 

stocks  from  the  fores  is 70 

transplanting  and  pruning.    80 

xises  of 119 

Chile  hazelnut 2ii* 

Chocolate  nut  or  bean 261 

Clearing  nui 2i.2 

Clove  nutmeg L'74 

Cocoanut 262 

double 263 

Cocos  iiucif  era 2* ',2 

Cola  acnminata 264 

nut 264 

Coqnito  nut 264 

Coquilla  nut 264 

Cream  nut 265 

Crescentia  ctijete :;•;!> 

Cryptocarya  inoschala 274 

Cujumary  beans 274 

Da'wa  nut 265 

Dimocarpus  longaiia 271 

Earth  nut 265 

chestnut 265 

Elk  nut 265 

Enryale  ferox 265 

Evergreen  chestnut 55 

Fagus  antarc  ica 48 

betuloides 48 

ferruginea 48 

obi  i  qua 48 

sylvatii-a 48 

Fisticke  nut 265 

Filbert  or  hazelnut 118 

Fox  nut 265 

Galeruca  calmariensis 5 

Ginkgo  biloba 265 

nut 268 

Goober -75 

Goora  nut -»;4 

Gorgon  nut 266 

Groundnut 266,  267,  275 

Guevina  Avellana 208 

Guilandina  bonduc 273 

bonducella 273 

Hamiltonia  oleifera 275 

Hazelnut  or  filbert 118 

American  species  of  hazel..  126 

beaked  hazel  127 

Corylus  Americana .  126 

Corylns  rostrata 127 

Asiatic  species  of  hazel 128 

C.  ferox  &  heterophylla  128 

blight 138 

Cryptospora  anomala...  139 

fungus 141 


IXDEX. 


Page 

Hazelnut  or  iilber: , 128 

European  species  of  ...   127 
Constantinople  hazel  129 

Cory lu.s  Avellana 127 

Column 128 

tubulosa 130 

history  of  the  filbert 120 

insects  injurious  to  filberts.   145 
personal    experience    with 

filberts 132 

planting   and    pruning    fil- 
berts    124 

propagation  of  the  filbert..  122 
soil,   location,   etc.,  lor    fil- 
berts   123 

varieties  of  filbert  and  ha- 
zel seedlings 135 

varieties  extra  large  hazel 

seedling 136 

varieties  large  filbert 110 

large  seedling  huzelnut.  120 

select  list  of 130 

Alba  or  white  filbert....  130 
Cosford,  or  Miss  Young's 

thin-shelled 130 

Crispa,or  frizzled  filbert  130 
Downton,  large  square..  130 
Grand  is,  or   round   cob- 
nut      131 

Lambert's  filbert 130 

Purple-leaved  filbert  ...  131 
red  filbert,  red  hazel,  etc  131 

Spanish  filbert 132 

Horse-chestnut  268 

Hickory  nuts 147 

age  of  fruiting  the 193 

big  bud.  160 

big  shellbark 157 

bitter  pecan 165 

bitternut 163,  164 

brown 162 

budding  and  grafting 183 

crown,  on  roots     189 

sprouts  from  roots 190 

Carya  amara   var.  myristi- 

caefonnis 165 

Carya  olivsef  ormis 155 

cultivation  of  the. . .    177 

Hicoria    pecan    and    syno- 
nyms    155 

Hic'uria  alba 155 

"      synonyms 157 

Hicoria  aquatica 165 

"        synonyms.  166 

Hicoria  glabra 162 

"  "      synonyms. ..  164 

Hicoria  laciniosa 157 

"  "  synonyms  159 

Hicoria  minima 164 

"  "        synonyms..  165 

Hicoria  myristiceeformis. ..  165 

Hicoria  tomentosa 160 

"  "  synonyms  162 

history  of  the 148 

hognut 162 

Illinois  nut 155 


Page 
Hickory  nuts,  insect   enemies 

of  the 195 

American  "silk  worm....  202 

Attiicus  lima 202 

belteU  chion 19J 

bud  worm 202 

burrows  of  scolytus 200 

Cat ocal a 202 

Chion  cmctus 1>JJ 

Cliramesus  icorise 2jl 

Clisiocampa  sylvatica..  202 

Cyllene  crinicornis lus 

pictus 198 

robinise 198 

Elaphidion  inerme 199 

Goes,  beautiful 199 

pulchra 199 

tiger 199 

tigrinus 199 

Grapholitha  caryana  . . .  2i)l 

bark  borer 199 

nut  weevil 202 

shuck  worm 201 

twig  jardler 196 

leal  miners 202 

leaf  rollers 202 

locus!  borer 198 

luna  moth 202 

Oncideres  cingulatus. . .  196 

orange  sawyer 199 

painted  borer 198 

plant  lice         202 

Scolytus  4-spinosus 199 

Sinoxyloii  basil  ire 201 

Telea'polyphemus 202 

tent  caterpillar 202 

Tortricidse 201 

king  nut 160 

mocker  nut 16Q 

Pecan  nut 155 

varieties  of 107 

Alba 167 

Biloxi 167 

Colorado 169 

Columbian 167 

Early  Texan 168 

Faust 168 

Frotscher 168 

Georgia  Melon 168 

Gonzales 168 

Harcourt 168 

Idlewild 169 

Jewett 169 

Lady  Finger 169 

large,  long 167 

Little  Mobile 167 

Longfellow 168 

Pride  of  the  Coast...  169 

Primate 168 

Mexican 169 

Meyers 170 

Ribera 168 

Risien 169 

Stuart 169 

Turkey  Egg 169 

Van  Deman 16& 


288 


THE   XUT    CULTURIST. 


Page 

Hickory  nuts,  pignut 162,  104 

planting  for  profit 194 

propagaiion  r>f  the 180 

shellbark  or  shagbark 155 

varieties  of 170 

Hales'  paper-shell.. .  172 

long  hickory 173 

from  Missouri 173 

Western,  varieties  of  ...  174 

Floyd  pecan 177 

long 174 

Nussbaumer's 174-176 

species  and  varieties    i'24 

swamp  hickoria 164,  165 

switch  bud 162 

thick,     or     western     shell- 
bark 157,  158 

white-heart 160 

Inocarpus  edulis 282 

Introduction. . . '. 1 

Imperial  ion  of  nuts 8 

Imported  nuts,  value  of 9 

Ita  palm  nut 271 

Ivory  nut 269 

Jesuit  chestnuts 269,  283 

Jicara  nut 269 

Juba  nut 270 

Jubaea  spectabilis 264 

Juvia  nut 258,  270 

Kipper  nut 270 

Kola  nut 264 

Laurelia  sempervirens 275 

Lecy this  Zabucajo 279 

Leechee  nut 270 

Litchi  nut 270 

Lodoicea  Sechellarum 263 

Longan 270 

Longyen 270 

Lousy  nut 271 

Macadamia  ternifolia 256 

Madagascar  nutmeg 274 

Marking  nut 271 

Mauritia  flexuosa 271 

Mirit i  nut 271 

Miscellaneous  nuts 254 

Monkey-pot  nut 272 

Moreton  Bay  chestnuts 255 

Moringa  optera 256 

Sterygosperma 256 
stica  fatua 273 

fragrans 273 

otoba 274 

sebifera 274 

Myrobalan  nut 272 

Nectandy  puchury 274 

Nelumbium  luteu'm 284 

Nephelium  pinnatum 271 

Nepheliums 271 

Nickar  nut 272 

Nittar,  or  Nut ta 273 

Nuces  vel  Poina  Pinea 277 

Nutmeg 273 

Nutmeg  hickory 165 

Nvssa  capitata 282 

Oak  nut 254 

Oil  nut 2G5,  '-'75 


Olea  Americana 27f. 

Openaxvk 2*  7 

Oi>hiocaryon  paradoxum 28  > 

Paradise  nut 275 

1'arkiu  Africana 273 

J'eanut 275 

I'ekea  nut 275 

Peruvian  nut 275 

nutmeg 274 

Phy telephas  macrocarpa 269 

1'liysic  nut 276 

Pinang 256 

Pine  nut 270 

Pinocchi 277 

Pinolas  277 

Pinon 277 

1'inus  cembroides 277 

edulis 277 

monophylla 278 

Pan  y  ana 277 

pinea  270 

Piper  betel 256 

Pistacia  Mexicana 278 

vera 278 

Pistachio  nut 278 

Plum  nutmeg 274 

Pterocarya  fraxinifolia 261 

Puchurim  beans 274 

Pyrularia  oleifera 275 

Quandang  nut 279 

Qudria  heterophylla 268 

Queensland  nut 256 

Quercus  virens 255 

Raffia,  or  Roffia 25 

Rambutan 270 

Salisburia  adiantifolia 265 

Santalum  acuminatum 279 

Sapucaia  nut 27l> 

Sard  is  nut 63 

Sassafras  nut 280 

Semecarpus  anacaulitim 271 

Singhara-nut  plant 283 

Snake  nut 280 

Souari  nut 280 

South  Sea  chestnut 282 

Staphvlea  trifolia 257 

Stillingia  sebifera 282 

Stinking  nutmeg 275 

Strychnos  potatormn 262 

Tal'.itian  chestnut 282 

T;illo\v  nut 282 

Tavola  nut 282 

Taxus  nucifera 283 

Temperance  nut 283 

Terminalia  Catappa 272 

Theobroma  cacao 261 

Torrey  nut 283 

Torreya  Californica 275 

nucifera 283 

Trapa  bicornis 283 

bispinosa 283 

r.atans 283 

verbanensis 283 

Walnut 203 

American 224 

black  232 


INDEX. 


289 


Page 
Walnut,    American    black,    in 

husk 232 

varieties  of 233 


butternut 224 

sugar 227 

varieties  of 225 

California 234 

Carya  cathart  ica 225 

Juglans  Californica 234 

cathartica    225 

cinerea 224 

hybrida 225 

oblonga  alba 225 

nigra 232 

nigra,  husk  removed  233 

nigra  oblonga 233 

rupestris 235 

New  Mexico 235 

Texas 235 

Wallia  cinerea 225 

white 224 

budding  and  grafting 218 

flute 220 

history 203 

husking 250 

hybrids  in  California 227 

flowering  branch  of.  ...  228 


Juglans  Californica. 


22<> 


Siebokliana 231,  237 

insect  enemies  of  the 251 

Citheronia  regalis 252 

Regal  walnut  moth  .    ...  252 

Jovis  glans 203 

Juglans 203 

Oriental 236 

Juglans  ailantifolia 237 

Camirium 236 

Catappa 236 

cordiformis 239 

Japonica 236 

Mandshurica 237 

Persian 204 

in  America 209 


Page 

Walnut,  Persian,  Barthere 242 

Chaberte 242 

Chile 240,  242 

Cluster 243 

Cut-leaved 243 

English 240 

Franquette 243 

French 240 

Gant,  or  Bijou 243 

Juglans  regia 240 

regia  octogona 2i~, 

serotina 247 

Kaghazi 244 

Large-fruited     Proepar- 

turiens.         244 

Late  Proeparturiens 244 

Late 247 

Madeira  nut 240 

Mayette 245 

Mesange,  or  paper-shell  245 

Meylaii  246 

Octogona 246 

Parisienne 246 

Prceparturiens 246 

Precocious 246 

Racemosa,  or  Spicata. . .  243 

Royal 240 

Small  fruited 240 

St.  John 247 

Variegated 248 

Vilmoriii .  — 247 

Vourey 247 

Weeping 248 

planting  and  pruning 223 

propagation  of 215 

seedling 216 

Water  chestnut 269,  283,  284 

chinquapin 284 

hickory 165 

Western  cashew 260 

chinquapin 55 

Winged-seeded  moringa 256 

Winged  walnut 261 


19 


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Barry's  Fruit  Garden. 

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Fuller's  Small  Fruit  Culturist. 

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STANDARD   BOOKS. 

Fuller's  Grape  Culturist. 

By  A.  S.  Fuller.  This  is  one  of  the  very  best  of  works  on  the  Cul- 
ture of  the  Hardy  Grapes,  with  full  directions  for  all  departments 
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Quinn's  Pear  Culture  for  Profit. 

Teaching  How  to  Raise  Pears  intelligently,  and  with  the  best  re- 
sults, how  to  find  out  the  character  of  the  soil,  the  best  methods  of 
preparing  it,  the  best  varieties  to  select  under  existing  conditions,, 
tke  best  modes  of  planting,  pruning,  fertilizing,  grafting,  and  utiliz- 
ing the  ground  before  the  trees  come  into  bearing,  and  finally  of 
gathering  and  packing  for  market.  Illustrated.  By  P.  T.  Quinn,. 
practical  horticulturist.  Cloth,  12mo.  1.00- 

Husmann's  American  Grape  Growing  and  Wine-Making 

By  George  Husmann  of  Talcoa  vineyards,  Napa,  California.  New 
and  enlarged  edition.  With  contributions  from  well  know  grape- 
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book  is  a  recognized  authority  on  tke  subject.  Cloth,  12mo.  1.50 

White's  Cranberry  Culture. 

Contents  : — Natural  History. — History  of  Cultivation. — Choice  of 
Location.— Preparing  the  Ground.— Planting  the  Vines.— Manage- 
ment of  Meadows. — Flooding. — Enemies  and  Difficulties  Overcome. 
—Picking.— Keeping.— Profit  and  Loss.— Letters  from  Practical 
Growers.— Insects  Injurious  to  the  Cranberry.  By  Joseph  J.  White, 
a  practical  grower.  Illustrated.  Cloth,  12mo.  New  and  revised 
edition.  1.25 

Fuller's  Practical  Forestey. 

A  Treatise  on  the  Propagation,  Planting  and  Cultivation,  with  a 
description  and  the  botanical  and  proper  names  of  all  the  indigen- 
ous trees  of  the  United  States,  both  Evergreen  and  Deciduous,  with 
Notes  on  a  large  immber  of  the  most  valuable  Exotic  Species.  By 
Andrew  S.  Fuller,  author  of  "Grape  Culturist,"  "Small  Fruit  Cul- 
turist," etc.  1.50 

Stewart's  Irrigation  for  the  Farm,  Garden  and  Orchard. 

This  work  is  offered  to  those  American  Farmers  and  other  cultiva- 
tors of  the  soil  who,  from  painful  experience,  can  readily  appre- 
ciate the  losses  which  result  from  the  scarcity  of  water  at  critical 
periods.  By  Henry  Stewart.  Fully  illustrated.  Cloth,  12mo.  1.50 

Quinn's  Money  in  the  Garden. 

By  P.  T.  Quinn.  The  author  gives  in  a  plain,  practical  style,  ioj- 
structions  on  three  distinct,  although  closely  connected  branches 
of  gardening — the  kitchen  garden,  market  garden,  and  field  culture, 
from  successful  practical  experience  for  a  term  of  years.  Illustra- 
ted. Cloth,  12mo.  1.50 


STAXDAKD    BOOKS. 

Roe's  Play  and  Profit  in  My  Garden. 

By  E.  P.  Roe.  The  author  takes  us  to  his  garden  on  the  rocky  hill- 
sides in  the  vicinity  of  West  Point,  and  shows  us  how  out  of  it, 
after  four  years'  experience,  he  evoked  a  profit  of  81,000,  and  this 
while  carrying  on  pastoral  and  literary  labor.  It  is  very  rarely 
that  so  much  literary  taste  and  skill  are  mated  to  so  much  agri- 
cultural experience  and  good  sense.  Cloth,  12mo.  1.50 

The  New  Onion  Culture. 

By  T.  Greiner.  This  new  work  is  written  by  one  of  our  most  suc- 
cessful agriculturists,  and  is  full  of  new,  original,  and  highly  valu- 
able matter  of  material  interest  to  every  one  who  raises  onions  in 
the  family  garden,  or  by  the  acre  for  market.  By  the  process  here 
described  a  crop  of  2000  bushels  per  acre  can  be  as  easily  raised  as 
500  or  GOO  bushels  in  the  old  way.  Paper,  12mo.  .50 

The  Dairyman's  Manual. 

By  Henry  Stewart,  author  of  "The  Shepherd's  Manual."  "Irriga- 
tion," etc.  A  useful  and  practical  work,  by  a  writer  who  is  well 
known  as  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  subject  of  which  he  writes. 
Cloth,  12mo.  2.00 

Allen's  American  Cattle. 

Their  History,  Breeding  and  Management.  By  Lewis  F.  Allen. 
This  book  will  be  considered  indispensable  by  every  breeder  of 
live  stock.  The  large  experience  of  the  author  in  improving  the 
character  of  American  herds  adds  to  the  weight  of  his  observations 
and  has  enabled  him  to  produce  a  work  which  will  at  once  make 
good  his  claims  as  a  standard  authority  on  the  subject.  New  and 
revised  edition.  Illustrated.  Cloth,  12mo.  2.50 

Profits  in  Poultry. 

Useful  and  ornamental  Breeds  and  their  Profitable  Management. 
This  excellent  work  contains  the  combined  experience  of  a  num- 
ber of  practical  men  in  all  departments  of  poultry  raising.  It  is 
profusely  illustrated  and  forms  a  unique  and  important  addition 
to  our  poultry  literature.  Cloth,  12mo.  1.00 

The  American  Standard  of  Perfection. 

The  recognized  standard  work  on  Poultry  in  this  country,  adopted 
by  the  American  Poultry  Association.  It  contains  a  complete  de- 
scription of  all  the  recognized  varieties  of  fowls,  including  turkeys, 
ducks  and  geese ;  gives  instructions  to  judges ;  glossary  of  technical 
terms  and  nomenclature.  It  contains  244  pages,  handsomely 
bound  in  cloth,  embellished  with  title  in  gold  on  front  cover.  $1.00 

Stoddard's  An  Egg  Farm. 

By  H.  H.  Stoddard.  The  management  of  poultry  in  large  numbers, 
being  a  series  of  articles  written  for  the  AMERICAN  AGBICULTUK- 
TRT.  Illustrated.  Cloth,  12mo.  -50 


